Acadia Healthcare (NASDAQ:ACHC), one of many largest operators of behavioral well being facilities within the U.S., is holding individuals in opposition to their will to maximise insurance coverage payouts, alleged a New York Occasions report on Sunday.
In at the least 12 of the 19 states the place Acadia (ACHC) operates psychiatric hospitals, dozens of sufferers, staff and cops have notified authorities that the corporate was detaining staff in ways in which broke the regulation, the report acknowledged, citing information.
In response to the report, some sufferers who got here in search of routine psychological well being care discovered themselves despatched to Acadia (ACHC) amenities and locked in.
The corporate used legal guidelines meant for individuals who pose an instantaneous hazard to themselves to carry sufferers who appeared to not have met these authorized requirements, the report added, citing information and interviews.
The report alleged that Acadia (ACHC) held sufferers for monetary causes reasonably than medical ones.
Acadia (ACHC) makes use of plenty of methods to persuade insurers to pay for longer stays, the report stated, citing worker interviews.
“Acadia has exaggerated sufferers’ signs. It has tweaked treatment dosages, then claimed sufferers wanted to remain longer due to the adjustment. And it has argued that sufferers usually are not properly sufficient to depart as a result of they didn’t end a meal,” the New York Occasions alleged. “Until the sufferers or their households rent legal professionals, Acadia typically holds them till their insurance coverage runs out.”
Acadia Healthcare (ACHC) didn’t instantly reply to a Looking for Alpha request for remark.
