Arkansas psychiatrist Dr. Brian Hyatt has been accused of wrongfully detaining multiple patients at Northwest Medical Center-Springdale’s Behavioral Health Unit (BHU). These patients were kept against their will and mistreated for days or weeks at a time. U.S. Marshals arrested and detained Dr. Hyatt on March 28, 2026. Dr. Hyatt and seven of his co-workers are facing federal charges for their misconduct.
LeVar Law Injury & Accident Lawyers is partnering with the Odom Law Firm in Fayetteville to help patients and families affected by Dr. Hyatt actions at Northwest Medical Center-Springdale’s BHU. We can help you seek compensation for what you’ve had to endure.
More than 300 lawsuits have been filed in this case already. Let us help you seek justice. For a free and confidential consultation with our attorneys, contact our law firm today.
Who Is Dr. Brian Hyatt?
Dr. Brian Hyatt is a psychiatrist based in Rogers, AR. He received his medical degree from University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine in 2004.
Dr. Hyatt served as medical director of the Northwest Medical Center-Springdale’s BHU from 2018-2022 and is former chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board. He was once considered one of the top physicians in the state.
As reported by KUAR Little Rock Public Radio, Dr. Hyatt resigned from the Arkansas State Medical Board in March 2023, two months after he stepped down as chairman. This was prompted by legal investigations by state and federal authorities.
The Initial Allegations Against Dr. Hyatt
On April 1, 2022, a confidential informant who worked at the Behavioral Health Unit filed a complaint about Dr. Hyatt’s conduct on the job.
According to an October 2023 KNWA report, Hyatt was rarely present at Northwest Medical Center-Springdale during work hours. He also spent little to no time seeing or working with patients, and instead pushed a computer down a hallway.
The confidential informant also expressed concerns about patient abuse at the BHU. These abuse allegations included using physical restraints and sedatives when patients were not a danger to themselves or others.
Dr. Hyatt’s contract with Northwest Medical Center-Springdale’s BHU was abruptly terminated in May 2022.
Initial Arrest and Not Guilty Plea
On October 9, 2023, Dr. Hyatt was arrested on two counts of Medicaid fraud. He was released one hour after this initial arrest.
Dr. Hyatt pled not guilty to these charges in Pulaski County District Court on October 27, 2024.
Federal Indictment and Arrest
As reported by KNWA, Dr. Hyatt and seven co-workers at Northwest Medical Center-Springdale’s BHU were federally indicted in March 2026.
All eight defendants face conspiracy to commit kidnapping charges. Dr. Hyatt and one of his co-workers was also charged with conspiracy to distribute and dispense a controlled substance outside the scope of professional medical practice.
The Associated Press reported that some of the co-conspirators were also charged with participating in the misconduct, failing to intervene, and concealing the poor treatment of patients in medical records.
Additional Arrests and Run-Ins with the Law
Prior to his 2026 arrest, Dr. Hyatt faced multiple run-ins with the law throughout 2025. This includes arrests for public intoxication and driving while intoxicated (DWI). His ex-wife also sought an order of protection against him.
Multiple Patients Have Come Forward with Allegations of Mistreatment
Multiple patients have come forward with stories of mistreatment at Northwest Medical Center-Springdale from 2018-2022.
Major Incidents of Abuse and Mistreatment in the BHU
Karla Adrian-Caceres (represented by the Odom Law Firm) filed one of the first lawsuits against Dr. Hyatt and Northwest Medical Center-Springdale. She was kept at the BHU against her will for three days. Employees at the BHU forced her to sign a “voluntary” consent to admission and threatened to keep her longer.
The hospital ignored two orders from Washington County Circuit Court to have Karla released. She was eventually freed from the BHU by a deputy sheriff.
A 2023 NBC News report focused on William VanWhy, who checked himself into the BHU feeling emotionally overwhelmed. He was kept in the BHU against his will for four days without receiving any medical care. Again, a deputy sheriff needed to come to the hospital to free a patient.
The NBC report also detailed the experiences of Shannon Williams. Williams had lost her grandmother and brother in quick succession and wound up in the ER in crisis mode. She was transferred to the BHU by another physician who claimed she was a danger to herself. Williams was forced to stay in the BHU for five days and was sedated against her will.
Other Patients Come Forward with Their Stories in the BHU
Three other woman came forward with their experiences on a 5NEWS report from December 2023. None of these women received the care they needed from Hyatt while at Northwest Medical Center-Springdale’s BHU.
Video footage obtained by the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office confirmed what the confidential informant had reported: Dr. Hyatt wandering the halls of the hospital while doing his rounds, not entering any rooms to meet with patients.
In an affidavit, fellow healthcare providers at the facility claimed that Dr. Hyatt did not want patients to know his name, and requested his name be crossed out on patient wristbands.
Upcoding: How Dr. Hyatt Allgedly Defrauded Medicaid
Medicaid paid Northwest Medical Center-Springdale’s BHU an exorbitant amount of money from 2018 to June 2022. This came from multiple fraudulent claims.
Medicaid has a coding system to determine how much providers are paid, with higher rates given to patients who require more care. While at the BHU, 99.5% of Dr. Hyatt’s patients were billed under the “significant complication” code, which has the highest billing rates.
For perspective, 5NEWS reported that on average, just 21% of Medicaid billing is for the highest code. This form of Medicaid fraud is known as upcoding.
Our Attorneys Can Help Dr. Hyatt’s Patients Seek Compensation
No patient who needs proper mental health care deserves this kind of mistreatment, indignity, neglect, or trauma. Innocent people throughout Northwest Arkansas were held against their will, sedated, and subjected to demoralizing treatment as a means of defrauding Medicaid.
You deserve to have your story told and to have justice.
If you were a patient at Northwest Medical Center-Springdale’s Behavioral Health Unit from 2018 to 2022, we want to speak with you. You may be entitled to damages for what you experienced. Our attorneys can help you seek compensation for pain and suffering, emotional distress, lost wages, and other matters related to forced detention and patient abuse.
Were You a BHU Patient Under Dr. Brian Hyatt? Contact Our Law Firm Today
LeVar Law Injury & Accident Lawyers and the Odom Law Firm are ready to take on Northwest Medical Center-Springdale. Let us advocate for you and your loved ones. To request a free and confidential consultation, contact our law firm today. You can also reach us by phone at (888) 220-7068.
