Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Psychiatrist Arrested for Drugs Falsified Records

From the Ashley County Ledger in Arizona

Ashley County Quorum Court members received an update of the circumstances that led to the hiring, termination and arrest of a former Ashley County Medical Center psychiatrist employed two weeks at the facility's Generations unit.

Hospital Administrator Russ Sword terminated Paul Jay Loop, 46, Monday, December 3, after Sword learned of Loop's drug abuse.

According to the ACMC hospital report presented to the court during its December meeting, Loop was terminated and his privileges to practice medicine at ACMC were revoked. The Crossett Police Department was informed of the situation, and officers arrested Loop on possession of crack cocaine in Sword's office. At the time of his arrest, six rocks of crack cocaine were found in Loop's possession. In addition to the cocaine, law enforcement officers found drug paraphernalia during a search conducted by the Crossett Police Department and the Ashley County Sheriff's Department of his hotel room at the Levee Inn.

"ACMC responded to the situation promptly and decisively and reported the matter to the Arkansas Medical Board," Sword said in its report presented to the court.

"All Arkansas hospitals, including Ashley County Medical Center, are required by state regulations to use the centralized credentialing services of the Arkansas Medical Board when reviewing physicians who are applying for hospital privileges. "

It further notes that during the medical board's review process, applicants' background, medical school, residency programs, as well as previous practices and other state medical board's recommendations are checked. "ACMC receives a written report from the Arkansas Medical Board before acting on a physician's request for clinical privileges," he added.

Although ACMC received a favorable report on Loop from the medical board, it is now known that Loop falsified his application to ACMC as well as information he submitted to the Arkansas Medical Board, according to the report.

The Arkansas Medical Board has suspended Loop’s license pending a hearing in February in regard to revoking his license.

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