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The Arkansas State Medical Board has moved to suspend the license of a family doctor accused of performing a sexual act in front of employees and walking around the clinic naked, some of which was reportedly caught on video.
The board issued an emergency suspension on Wednesday pending a hearing on the matter, alleging Dr David Diffine violated the Medical Practices Act, according to Law&Crime.
The board received a complaint in July claiming the doctor “engaged in sexual contact with his staff, who are also his patients, and sexually harassed these same individuals.”
The complainant said the issue required immediate action regarding the “public health, safety and welfare.” Footage of the sexual conduct and harassment was attached to the complaint.
The board wrote the video “shows, among other things, Dr Diffine performing a sexual act with a staff member while other staff members were present and watching. “The video also shows Dr Diffine walking throughout the clinic naked.”
In reaction to the footage, a member of the Arkansas Medical Foundation, Dr Bradley Diner, said: “The perverse behavior leads to concerns about a sexual compulsive disorder or paraphilia which may in fact cross boundaries with his delivery of medical care.
“Simply, the interaction with his office staff suggest an entanglement in his medical practice. Given these additional concerns, I would recommend that he have a more formal professional evaluation for safety to practice.”
A majority of the board found the doctor’s behavior created “an ongoing danger to the public.”
Diffine previously had his license suspended in 2017 because he allegedly prescribed a large amount of controlled substances to multiple patients while failing to maintain proper records of the dosages. At the time, the charges were dismissed due to a lack of proof, the outlet reported.
Diffine will appear at a hearing on December 6 to examine if he violated the Medical Practices Act. The board will determine if he “utilized words or acts which sexually harass co-workers or employees or patients within the clinic or hospital setting.”
