PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — UPDATE: Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin commented on Brian Hyatt’s court appearance today saying that he now awaits formal charges.

“This morning Dr. Brian Hyatt appeared in Pulaski County District Court and entered a plea of not guilty on multiple charges of Medicaid fraud in response to an affidavit and arrest warrant filed by my office,” a release from Griffin’s office said. “Dr. Hyatt was released on a $15,000 bond after surrendering his passport and signing an extradition waiver. My next step in the criminal justice process is to file formal felony charges for Medicaid fraud against Dr. Hyatt in Pulaski County Circuit Court.”

“Attorneys in my office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will continue to prosecute this case, and I am confident that justice will be served,” the release added.

PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Rogers psychiatrist accused of Medicaid fraud has pleaded not guilty.

Brian Thomas Hyatt, 51, was arrested on Oct. 9 in Benton County on two counts of Medicaid fraud. He was released an hour later.

Hyatt entered the plea during his arraignment on Oct. 19. A clerk review has been scheduled in the case for Dec. 6.

Hyatt was the director of the Behavioral Health Unit at the Northwest Medical Center in Springdale from February 2018 to May 2022.

The Arkansas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit conducted an investigation after receiving a complaint in April 2022 from a confidential informant who worked in the health unit.

An affidavit filed in Pulaski County says that an investigation found Hyatt committed Medicaid fraud by purposely billing the highest billing procedure codes for patients to whom he did not provide the billed healthcare services.

“In most cases, Dr. Hyatt appeared to observe the patient for a matter of seconds from the hallway, but in many cases, he just walked by the rooms,” the affidavit said. “Dr. Hyatt was not spending any substantial time with his patients. Unless Dr. Hyatt was able to perform a ‘detailed medical examination’ in under two minutes, not once did he perform an exam during the reviewed timeframe.”

The full story about Hyatt’s arrest can be read here.