An Arkansas doctor with a family medicine practice had his medical license suspended after charges that he harassed and engaged in sexual activities with members of his staff, who were also his patients and walked around his medical office naked.
The Arkansas State Medical Board issued an immediate suspension order on Wednesday until a hearing on Dr. David Diffine’s alleged violations of the Medical Practices Act, according to documents obtained by Law&Crime.
According to the ruling, the board received information indicating that Diffine’s practice necessitated prompt action for the “public health, safety, and welfare.”
The board received a complaint on July 17, 2024, alleging that Diffine “engaged in sexual contact with his staff, who are also his patients, and sexually harassed these same individuals.”
The allegation included a video of the inappropriate conduct and harassment obtained by a security camera inside 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,” according to the directive. “The video also shows Dr. Diffine walking throughout the clinic naked.”
Dr. Bradley Diner, a member of the Arkansas Medical Foundation, saw the security tape from Diffine’s clinic and said this:
A majority of the board members agreed that Diffine’s alleged conduct posed “an ongoing danger to the public” if he were allowed to practice medicine without a more complete assessment of his actions.
Diffine’s medical license was previously suspended by the board in 2017 after he reportedly prescribed an excessive amount of controlled medications to many patients while failing to keep sufficient records of their condition. However, the allegations against Diffine were dismissed because of a lack of evidence, according to the board’s order.
Diffine is currently scheduled to appear for a hearing to establish whether the claimed conduct violates the Medical Practices Act, specifically whether he “utilized words or acts which sexually harass co-workers, employees, or patients within the clinic or hospital setting.”
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