Recovery advocates call for more federal oversight of drug treatment centers

Investigators are looking into drug treatment centers accused of defrauding the people they’re supposed to help, leading recovery advocates to call for more federal oversight.

A report with the U.S. Government Accountability Office revealed several states are investigating allegations of fraud at substance abuse recovery centers where employees at times overcharge patients and leave Medicaid with the bill.

"Operators were luring individuals to homes using deceptive marketing techniques such as promises of free airfare and rent,” Mary Denigan-Macauley with the United States Government Accountability Office said.

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There is not a federal agency that oversees care at substance abuse recovery centers so it’s unclear exactly how many of these facilities there are or what kind of treatment they offer.

25-year-old Brian Mendell had struggled with drug addiction for nearly a decade.

"If only we had known what to look for,” his father Gary Mendell said during testimony before a Senate committee last week.

Gary Mendell founded the nonprofit group Shatterproof after his son tragically took his own life in 2011. The group aims to fight addiction.

Mendell told committee members there is a need for more oversight at the substance abuse treatment centers and called for a uniformed quality measurement system.

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"I was destroyed all over again when I learned that research existed proving the types of interventions that would have significantly improved the outcome for Brian,” Mendell said. "Unlike other healthcare services, comprehensive standardized data on the quality of addiction treatment just simply doesn't exist."

The report said at least 13 people throughout several states have been convicted and fined or sentenced to jail for committing fraud at substance abuse treatment centers.

Florida and Massachusetts require a state license or certification for recovery homes.

Officials in Ohio are providing training and technical assistance to the facilities.