BY: Walker
Published 4 hours ago
An Arkansas physician had his license suspended back in October, after the Arkansas State Medical Board accused him of engaging in sexual conduct and sexually harassing his staff — and now, video appears to back up their ruling.
An investigation was launched after a complainant sent the medical board videos of Diffine walking around his Blytheville practice in the nude.
According to documents from a Freedom of Information Act request, the footage was taken in 2019 by surveillance video at Diffine Family Practice in Blytheville. In it, Diffine can be seen walking around naked, including in the hallway between patient rooms.
One of the video clips shows Diffine walking around the receptionist’s office naked in front of three women. He performed a sexual act directly on one of the women. The clip ends with him ejaculating on her.
According to documents obtained from the medical board, the woman not only worked in Diffine’s office as a lab tech for another company but was also one of his patients.
According to the person who sent the board the videos, all of them were taken during business hours.
They also claimed Diffine uses his “position of power, sexual grooming, salary increases to groom employees and patients into repulsive sexual acts.”
In the investigative documents, Dr. Bradley Diner with the Arkansas Medical Foundation wrote the following:
An Arkansas Department of Health investigator interviewed Diffine in September by phone.
Diffine was informed there was video evidence of his actions.
“I don‘t know anything about that at all,” Diffine replied, according to the investigative report. “I would have to see those things to have any idea what you’re talking about.”
K8 News attempted to call Diffine at his various offices for a comment. Our staff also called his personal phone number and left a voicemail.
We received no response.
A news team went to his home to see if he would answer any of our questions in person. While there was a vehicle near his home, there was no answer.
This isn’t the first time the Arkansas State Medical Board has investigated Diffine.
Earlier this year, someone complained about what Diffine calls his naturist activities.
In the January complaint, the board was informed that Diffine was posting nude photos of himself on his social media accounts.
The complainant included screenshots from one of Diffine’s now-deactivated Instagram accounts, @naked.drdave.
In Diffine‘s response to the medical board, Diffine said he is a naturist and his accounts were well-known to the naturist community. He cited the practice as promoting acceptance and body positivity.
“We do not shame, sexualize, fear, or negatively stigmatize the naked body,” he said in his letter to the board.
Diffine added there was “no crossover whatsoever with my professionalism while practicing medicine and my naturist activities.”
During its June meeting, the board chose not to take any action and decided to save the documentation as information only and add it to Diffine’s file for future reference.
Diffine has also been investigated in the past for allegations surrounding illegally distributing pain medications.
His Arkansas medical license was temporarily suspended in 2017 while the board investigated claims of his over-prescribing medications.
The medical board sent Diffine a letter saying they found no evidence of him violating the Arkansas Medical Practices Act and closed the investigation.
In Missouri in 2011, Diffine entered into a deferred prosecution agreement after he was investigated by the medical board and criminally charged for allegedly illegally distributing pain medications.
Criminal charges were dropped, and Diffine agreed not to practice medicine in Missouri for three years. In 2013, the Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts closed the matter before the medical board and took no action.
On Oct. 13, the Arkansas State Medical Board suspended Diffine’s license following an investigation of the vidoes sent to the board in July.
His hearing is set for Dec. 6.
via: KAIT 8
