An Arkansas doctor’s medical license has been suspended amid allegations of harassment and inappropriate sexual conduct with staff members, who were also his patients, including incidents of him being nude in his clinic.
On Wednesday, the Arkansas State Medical Board announced an emergency suspension of Dr. David Diffine, pending a hearing related to alleged breaches of the Medical Practices Act, according to documents.
The board has been informed that Diffine’s practice necessitates prompt action concerning public health, safety, and welfare.
On July 17, 2024, the board received a complaint alleging that Diffine was involved in sexual contact with his staff, who are also his patients, and that he sexually harassed these individuals.
A video showing the sexual conduct and harassment was included with the complaint, recorded by a security camera in the medical clinic.
“Specifically, 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 order states. “The video also shows Dr. Diffine walking throughout the clinic naked.”
The board members largely agreed that Diffine’s reported behavior posed a “continuing risk to the public” if he was permitted to keep practicing medicine without a deeper examination of his actions.
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In 2017, the board suspended Diffine’s medical license due to allegations of prescribing excessive controlled substances to several patients and not maintaining proper records of their conditions. The board’s order indicates that the charges against Diffine were dismissed because there was insufficient evidence.
Diffine is set to attend a hearing to assess if the reported actions breached the Medical Practices Act, particularly regarding whether he “used words or actions that sexually harass co-workers, employees, or patients in the clinic or hospital environment.”