Ten Questions to Ask a Drug Rehab Program
Within the last six months I have been contacted by parents of two different young adult men who were being body brokered without realizing it. Both sets of parents, terrified for their adult child and simultaneously concerned about the behavior of the program to which they were paying for treatment, reached out asking for guidance. For any family out there not working with a Therapeutic Consultant on the front end to help ensure you enroll in an ethical treatment program, here are the top ten questions you need to be asking to ensure you do not find yourself in an addiction treatment scam:
Who owns the program?
If they tell you it is owned by a shell company based out-of-state, run. This is not a treatment program; this is a money-making business.
Who created and maintains the website?
If the content were created by someone who is never set foot property of the facility, I would be very cautious. Programs will put on their sites what we consider “click bate.” When you go to Google and search “drug rehab for son” their website may pop-up, regardless of whether it’s a good fit. Also, make note of the pictures of staff, or lack thereof. A website with no pictures of staff is a huge red flag.
Where do most of your clients come from?
Write down the places they say. Follow through in doing research on those places as well. Also ask if they give those referents/placements a referral fee if a client enrolls with them. If they say yes, hang up immediately. Any program that pays for referrals is not following any ethical guidelines.
Is your program licensed and/or accredited? If yes, by which accrediting body?
Options could be CARF or Joint Commission (JCAHO), or licensed by their state as a residential treatment program. If they have no licensing or accreditation, be extremely weary! This extra step, although some programs do not see it as useful shows the rest of the world that they do value the standards from their accreditation.
What is the average length of stay for residents?
If they say 4-6 weeks, be careful. Research is out now to show that 90-day residential treatment is where you will find not just sobriety but recovery. Programs that still fall under the 28-day insurance window aren’t focused on your adult child’s long-term care; they are just going with the timeline that your insurance plan dictates. In case you do not know this, insurance is not going to like paying for treatment and will try to get out of it as quickly as possible. Even when they have zero idea what is clinically appropriate for your child.
What happens if my insurance stops paying for treatment?
If they program says, well our rate is $500/day and you will then have to discharge by the end of the week, reconsider enrolling your kid in this program. If they are willing to take the loss if your insurance doesn’t cover the full length of stay, they initially thought would be covered, this is program worth speaking with. Any program who asks a client to leave after then only just enrolled because their insurance is not authorizing payment, this is a huge red flag.
Where are clients referred to when they step down?
If they say, “they all step down to our IOP and then enroll in [insert name of Sober Living],” ask who owns the sober living. If it’s owned by the same owner as the residential program, ask more questions. Ask where the owner lives. If they are out-of-state from this program, walk away.
Who recommends the step-down options?
If they respond in saying “Our therapist only,” make note. Recommendations for step-down is always a collaborative process. If they program will not include you in the process, especially since you’d be the one footing the bill, be very careful! If after knowing they tend to recommend clients straight from residential to a sober living (refer to question 7), this is skipping a lot of the clinical continuum. As a family, you need to be a part of this decision making. If they will not loop you in, this is grounds for investigating the motivation behind their recommendations (fraudulent activity).
Has your program ever been reported for insurance fraud?
If they answer yes, thank them for their time and let them know you will not be referring your loved one to them. Move on and make note that you dodged a serious bullet! If they feel uncomfortable and will not answer, make note, and still walk away! If they say something coy like “I don’t believe so,” then tell them you would love to speak with the Owner to learn more. If they will not let you do that, again, walk away.
If I were to Google your program, what would I discover?
Feel free to do this before you ever call them to begin with. If all their reviews online are 5-stars, ask if those folks were paid. If there is an article on page 7 of Google that details a death in the program, even if it was years ago, ask about it! If they minimize the story, if they are defensive, or if they cannot speak to programmatic changes since then, move along. Anything online can only be accepted with a grain of salt.
Trust your gut, but also know that if you feel overwhelmed you need to hire a professional to help you navigate this. It can be a very terrifying experience of thinking you are enrolling your loved one in an ethical program only to have communication cut off as soon as they enroll. Be conservation. Be cautious. And ask all the questions!
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
