Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare operates 165 comprehensive treatment centers, which provide methadone and other treatments for opioid use disorder.
In its investigation, the Times alleged that at some Acadia OUD clinics, counselors exceeded caseloads set by state regulators. Some clinics accepted patients who were not addicted to opioids to boost patient volume, the Times alleged. Methadone cannot treat addiction to substances that are not opioids.
Dozens of current and former employees at Acadia clinics in 22 states told the Times the clinics sometimes failed to provide adequate counseling to patients receiving treatment for opioid use disorder.
In one example, an Acadia clinic in Iowa recorded a 40-minute counseling session in a patient’s medical record. The patient told the Times the session was a conversation in the clinic’s hallway that lasted less than five minutes.
In a statement on its webiste, Acadia said the allegations in the article are “either false or omit material context.”
“We patently reject these claims, including allegations employees are pressured to enroll patients, falsify records or overbill for services,” a spokesperson for Acadia Healthcare told Becker’s.
Acadia Healthcare has faced media scrutiny and investigations into its behavioral health hospitals in recent months. In September, the Times published an investigation alleging Acadia detained patients beyond medical necessity in its inpatient behavioral health facilities.
Following the Times’ report, the Justice Department opened an investigation into Acadia’s admissions, length-of-stay and billing practices. The company is also being investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs for possible fraud.
Acadia executives told investors the media scrutiny has led to a dip in patient volumes.
A spokesperson for Acadia Healthcare told Becker’s the company has “thousands of well-trained and qualified employees and tens of thousands of satisfied patients” in its OUD treatment business.
“As a national leader in OUD treatment, we firmly stand behind our practices and evidence-based approach that combines FDA-approved medication with counseling and other patient support services in voluntary programs,” the spokesperson said. “This approach is driven by safety and efficacy and is proven to be the most effective way to save lives and reduce the risk of relapse.”
Read the Times’ full report here.
