Nearly a dozen witnesses appear in 9-hour Arkansas Medical Board hearing into gastroenterologist • Arkansas Advocate

The Arkansas State Medical Board on Thursday heard nine hours of testimony regarding a Little Rock physician who has been accused of sexual abuse and improper opioid prescriptions.

The hearing of Dr. Alonzo Williams, a gastroenterologist and medical director of the Arkansas Diagnostic Center, will continue Friday with additional witnesses. The medical board is also expected to make a decision in the case, whether it be disciplinary or otherwise.

Little Rock gastroenterologist has 30-year history of complaints against him, records show

Williams has been accused of a range of wrongdoing over the past 30 years, including questionable medical care and sexual misconduct. According to an Advocate analysis of documents obtained through the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, the medical board has received about two dozen complaints about Williams since 1993.

None of the previous complaints have resulted in disciplinary action.

Williams appeared before the board Thursday with his attorney Kevin O’Dwyer, who formerly served as the medical board’s legal counsel. The attorney general’s office represented the board.

The first day of the hearing included testimony from 10 witnesses who ranged from a drug control investigator, an experienced gastroenterologist, former and current employees of Williams’ and patients who have received care from the Little Rock physician.

Witnesses called by the state largely discussed Williams’ practice habits, which they said included prescriptions for controlled substances, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and Xanax, despite reportedly knowing risks to patients and having at least one patient who tested positive for cocaine.

The state also argued Williams conducted some procedures at a concerning frequency, including biopsies and an esophagus examination called an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, or EGD, which can also include a dilation that stretches a patient’s narrow esophagus to help with swallowing.

Among a sample of six of Williams’ patients, records showed he sometimes performed EGDs every month of the year. In one case, Williams performed three sedated procedures in the same month, Michael Lewis with the attorney general’s office said.

Eduardo deMondesert, the state’s expert witness in gastroenterology, said the records he reviewed showed vague indications that Williams’ patients needed the procedures he consistently conducted.

With nearly 30 years of experience in the field, deMondesert also said if an EGD and dilation didn’t prove to relieve a patient’s symptoms the first time, it shouldn’t be done again. He said repeatedly falling below a standard of care as set forth by disciplinary guidelines, and thus putting patients at risk of harm, is gross negligence.

The witnesses who were patients of Williams’ spoke very highly of the care they have received. Williams’ attorney also argued the patient records the medical board reviewed accounted for a small percentage of the physician’s total patient population and represented “extreme outliers.”

One witness stated that she has needed a dilation completed every three weeks for the last three years or she will struggle to swallow, breathe, talk and work with the pain she experiences. The woman said the chronic issue has prompted her to often seek care at emergency rooms, but the staff always refers her back to Williams.

Kim Graves, another patient of Williams’ who testified, said she has been receiving care from the physician for about 15 years. She receives a dilation about once a year and also visits Williams for her colonoscopies. 

The patients expressed a high degree of trust in Williams’ medical opinion.

Sexual abuse allegations

Though she was absent Thursday, attorneys and witnesses made several references to a former employee of Williams’ who accused him of sexual abuse.

Bradley Diner, a state-called witness who works with the Arkansas Medical Foundation, testified that he recently met with Williams to address the possibility of a sexual compulsive disorder. In the 1980s and again in the 1990s, Williams had previous allegations brought against him.

Diner said he could not come to a conclusion whether Williams had a sex-related problem, and he recommended that a further evaluation be completed. Diner said Williams rejected such an evaluation.

Diner said he was also unable to ascertain whether the sexual abuse complaint brought by Williams’ former employee, Rachael Hudspeth, was true or false.

A number of witnesses for Williams testified about Hudspeth’s behavior and referred to her as someone who was “hypersexual.” As her former coworkers, the witnesses said Hudspeth often talked about her relationships and personal life in professional settings. Hudspeth also allegedly touched at least one of her coworkers inappropriately at work and touched her breasts to at least one patient.

The witnesses said they did not file any complaints about Hudspeth with the clinic’s human resources office, stating that she was a friend and they all wanted to help her get her life on the right track. 

Hudspeth’s exit from the workplace was described as “storming out.” Suzette Siegler, a witness on Thursday and Williams’ nurse manager, found evidence after Hudspeth left that she had altered medical charts that were in Williams’ name. Siegler said she checked due to suspicions about Hudspeth’s behavior. 

Questioning by Jordan Broyles from the attorney general’s office revealed that Siegler, who signed an affidavit affirming she had collected all available records requested by board investigators, had not provided some from the clinic’s surgery center.

The hearing will begin again at 8 a.m. Friday.