Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called on the Justice Department to investigate youth residential treatment facilities run by several state-run health care companies, citing evidence of civil rights violations and Medicaid fraud.
In two letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Wyden wrote: Universal Health Services, Universal Health Services, Acadia Healthcare, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, and Vivant Behavioral Healthcare.
Earlier this year, the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Mr. Wyden, released a report titled “Warehouses of Neglect: How Taxpayers Fund Systematic Abuse in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities.” .
of report The study is the result of a two-year investigation conducted by the Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. They alleged that these treatment facilities were rife with various forms of abuse, unsanitary conditions, and operating models that promoted profit over medical care.
With the exception of Devereux, all of the companies named in Wyden's letter are for-profit companies.
Wyden also claimed that these facilities receive billions of dollars in Medicaid despite not complying with regulations set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“Recently, deficiencies similar to those presented in my report were the basis of a $20 million settlement between the Department of Justice and Acadia Healthcare. It is alleged that the facility made unsubstantiated admissions and failed to provide services to the patients receiving its care, and that the facility was chronically understaffed, leading to patient injuries and deaths,” Wyden said. I wrote this citing a recent report. settlement Acadia denied any wrongdoing.
The Oregon Senate will refer the report's findings to the Department of Justice to determine whether these companies are not complying with Medicaid requirements, billing Medicaid for substandard care, and whether the U.S. They called for an investigation to determine whether there was any violation of Title 2 of the Personal Persons Act.
Universal Health Services told The Hill that the Senate report's findings are “incomplete and misleading.”
“During our years of dedicated service at some of our facilities, we are aware that isolated incidents have occurred where the treatment of residents has not met our expectations,” the company said in a statement. “Incidents like this are contrary to these facilities’ commitment to providing a safe and therapeutic environment, as well as their policies, procedures, protocols, and training.”
