U.S. Reps. Michael Burgess (R-TX), Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Greg Walden (R-OR), members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sought information last week on federal efforts to curb “patient brokering,” the practice of intermediaries profiting off drug treatment.
In a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price, Burgess, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Murphy, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Walden, the chairman of the full committee, called for a briefing from HHS officials on efforts to curb patient brokering.
According to an increasing number of media reports, certain people who are fighting opioid addiction are being recruited for out-of-state addiction treatment facilities through offers of free rent, cigarettes, and other incentives. Some of the facilities these patients are sent to are being operated by individuals with no proper training or expertise in drug treatment.
“These brokers serve as intermediaries who profit from recruiting patients, arranging for their transportation and insurance coverage, and sending them to treatment centers in states with high numbers of treatment centers per capita, such as Florida and California,” the letter states. “For their role, patient brokers receive generous financial kickbacks from the centers. Brokers are predominantly paid in one of two ways, a per-head fee that can range from $500 to $5,000 for each patient who successfully enters a treatment center, or a monthly fee from a facility based on the broker meeting a quota of patients which can result in earnings as high as tens of thousands of dollars.”
Many of the treatment centers, the letter continues, face little oversight or accountability because they are regulated by states with varying standards and enforcement practices.
“These practices are harming patients and their families, and taking advantage of laws intended to increase access to treatment for individuals with substance use disorder who are desperately in need of help,” the letter states. “The business of drug treatment centers requires greater scrutiny, and those battling addiction deserve a safe and dependable environment when seeking treatment.”
Burgess, Murphy and Walden requested information on steps being taken to curb patient brokering, details about any collaboration between federal and state agencies, information about what role the government plays in oversight of drug treatment centers, and information about how states regulate drug treatment centers and sober living homes.