DEA Conducts Raid of Arkansas Psychiatrist Brian Hyatt

May 26, 2023

Federal agents on Tuesday launched a raid on an Arkansas psychiatrist who is already under a state investigation for Medicaid fraud and has been accused of holding patients against their will in an inpatient facility.

The US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Arkansas confirmed to Insider that the Drug Enforcement Administration executed a search warrant as part of a federal investigation into Dr. Brian Hyatt of Rogers, Arkansas. The nature of the investigation is unclear, as is the raid's location.

"In general, the execution of a search warrant is an important step in any lengthy, ongoing investigation," a spokeswoman told Insider. "In light of the fact that this investigation is still ongoing, we can't make any additional comments."

Dr. Brian Hyatt is at the center of at least 15 lawsuits from former patients who have alleged false imprisonment, medical malpractice, and a host of other allegations from his time overseeing Northwest Medical Center's behavioral-health services unit in Springdale, Arkansas.

The patients, some of whom have spoken to Insider, alleged that they were illegally and wrongfully detained inside the facility without cause, for days or even weeks at a time. Some patients were only released when sheriff's deputies arrived at the facility with court orders to walk the patients out.

They and their attorneys have accused Hyatt of holding patients prisoner as part of an insurance "scheme" to maximize their time in the facility and fraudulently over bill their health-insurance carriers.

Hyatt is already under investigation by the Arkansas State Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, according to a search warrant affidavit that has been made public.

State investigators had requested a search warrant for Hyatt's cellphone records between 2019 and 2022, citing evidence that Hyatt had fraudulently billed Medicaid, Medicare, and health insurance companies despite having "no contact with patients."

Hyatt's attorneys and private practice have not responded to Insider's multiple emails, calls, and voicemails requesting comment between late March and Thursday.

Source: Michelle Mark, “The DEA conducted a raid on an Arkansas psychiatrist accused of holding patients against their will,” May 25, 2023, URL: https://www.insider.com/feds-conduct-raid-investigation-arkansas-psychiatrist-false-imprisonment-allegations-2023-5