The treatment space suffers from a discovery problem; people rarely know precisely what they’re paying for. A picture on Google doesn’t distinguish between the people inside the building, the phone number on the website may not actually be answered by the facility, and the amount of money moving through the system is enough to make people reckless.
Even the address can be misleading, as a search for drug rehab mariposa avenue los angeles will turn up facilities on that street, plus listing sites and lead aggregators, with little indication which ones are legitimate. Here’s how to find out what you need to.
Research the Licence in Your State
Treatment facilities are licensed at the state level, and in most cases the licensing is public and searchable online. In California, for example, the records are held by the state health authority, and include information about which addresses are covered by a given licence (often more than one), and any complaints or citations. It’s a worthwhile five minutes, and it is the step almost everybody skips.
Check the Address, Not Just the Name
A facility may be licensed for a particular building, and operate out of another without disclosing it, so ask to see the address corresponding to the licence, and if in doubt always ask directly where you’ll be staying if you’re considering a facility. Legitimate facilities will have no issue giving this information, and if they hesitate or refuse, you’ll know to take a second look.
Accreditation Is A Separate Issue
Accreditation by an independent agency is a completely different matter, and many facilities choose not to pursue it. However, most agencies will have a database of accredited facilities on file, and if the accreditation is legitimate, it’ll show up in a quick search. Conversely, if the facility claims to have accreditation but it doesn’t turn up in any database, it probably doesn’t.
Check the Credentials of the Staff
Ask for the credentials of the medical staff and the name of the physician, then verify their qualifications with the appropriate state licensing agency (usually the same one that you checked for the facility). There’s often a difference between places that employ doctors and nurses directly, and places where medical staff are hired as contractors and report to a facility administrator. This is legal and fairly common, and it makes the treatment you receive contingent on a rotating cast of staff that you can’t actually assess.
The Referral Service Problem
Some phone numbers that you find while searching belong to referral services, not treatment facilities. This means that when you call, you won’t speak to the facility directly, but to a person or automated service that can refer you to a provider, based on availability (and often based on who has paid them to list). In some states this practice is illegal, and is known as patient brokering. The easiest way to check is to ask the person answering whether you’re speaking to the facility directly, and ask for the number of the facility’s admissions department.
Red Flags
There are certain signs that indicate a dishonest facility, but none of them are definitive on their own. Combined, they are strongly indicative of a scam. These include pressure to commit immediately, offers to pay for travel and transportation, claims of a certain success rate, lack of information about who owns the facility, being denied the chance to review the weekly treatment plan, and an unwillingness to provide discharge instructions. A facility that’s operated under several names in the past is also suspicious.
Reviewing Reviews
When looking at reviews, focus on two things: patterns, and responses. If several detailed negative reviews describe the same specific problem independently of one another, that is worth taking seriously, whereas a run of short, near-identical praise usually is not. If a facility responds to criticism in detail or addresses a specific problem, that’s a good sign. If they respond in general terms or don’t respond at all, that’s a warning sign. Most concerning are runs of 5-star reviews that all appeared in the same week, or a strong rating attached to a facility that changed names long ago.
Key Information to Get in Writing
At a minimum, you want a copy of the licence and the address of the facility you’ll be visiting. Ask for a sample of the daily or weekly treatment program, and clarify what the costs do and don’t include. Find out what you’ll be responsible for paying if the treatment plan requires you to stay longer, and who will be responsible for refunding money if you leave early. A facility that gives you all of this information without hesitation has shown itself to be trustworthy.
Conclusion: An Overview of the Checks Worth Making
Checking a licence in your state, comparing the address from the site to the one in the licence records, asking for two sets of staff credentials, and calling to see whether the number you’re calling is the facility itself, are all time-consuming, inconvenient tasks that you may be tempted to skip. But doing them removes nearly all the uncertainty from the process, and makes you much less likely to be taken advantage of.
The owners and authors of Cinnamon Hollow are not doctors and this is in no way intended to be used as medical advice. We cannot be held responsible for your results. As with any product, service or supplement, use at your own risk. Always do your own research and consult with your personal physician before using.
