36 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • NOVEMBER 2019
PATIENT BROKERS
CRACKDOWN ON OPPORTUNISTS
Patient brokers lure those seeking treatment for substance abuse to unqualified out-of-state drug rehabs.
BY EDEN LAIKIN
A year after New York State made
it illegal to financially benefit from
referring patients to addiction treatment
programs, so-called “patient
brokers” have found new ways of
targeting desperate customers.
Several years ago, “body brokers”
began targeting support groups directly;
they were spotted in 12-step
meetings for those addicted to drugs
and alcohol. Then they made a big
splash on social media, where they
could reach tenfold more people who
are desperately seeking help.
“What's dangerous is the patient is
not comprehensively assessed and
placed in a program most suited
to meet their needs,” says Claudia
Ragni, a credentialed alcoholism
and substance abuse counselor who
owns Kenneth Peters Center for Recovery
in Syosset and is spearheading
a crusade to educate parents and
officials on spotting these brokers.
She says that brokers have been
paid to bring presentations to Long
Island public schools, trolling for
customers. “Not all programs are
created equal, and in my 35 years’
experience, each program has its
own culture and strengths. We need
to match patients with the right program
for optimum success. When a
patient is brokered, they are sent to
the highest bidder.”
Critics say that these unprofessional,
noncredentialed patient brokers are
preying on people at their most vulnerable
times — targeting them when
they don’t know where to turn for
help. Ragni likens body brokering
to human trafficking.
“These programs are all out of state,
and all out of network, and burn
through the patient's insurance so
when they return home, they have
no insurance to pay for therapeutic
support while they reintegrate into
the community where the addiction
began,” she says. “Legitimate professional
programs do not need brokers
to fill beds. So, it stands to reason that
substandard programs are the ones
brokers send people to.”
Body brokers are paid for each
person they send to a facility, and
they refer their targets to programs
offering the highest kickbacks to
the patient brokers, say critics, with
little regard for the patient’s specific
needs.
The tragic death of 20-year-old Jenna
Jacobsen of East Islip occurred after
she was lured to a Florida rehab
when a patient broker paid her airfare,
in late April. She disappeared
before entering the facility and was
found dead nearby on May 30.
In 2017, the New York State Office of
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
Services (OASAS) spurred a bipartisan
patient brokering bill that was
passed by the state legislature and
became law in October 2018.
“Vulnerable New Yorkers struggling
with addiction are being targeted
and falsely promised lifesaving
treatment services and then are
given inadequate and ineffective
treatment at outrageous costs," Gov.
Andrew Cuomo said at the time.
OASAS also issued a directive that
requires patient referrals to be delivered
by certified and credentialed
professionals, who are prohibited
from receiving referral fees.
“New York has strong safeguards
that protect those seeking help for
addiction from being exploited by
unscrupulous people seeking to
make a profit,” OASAS spokesperson
Evan Frost told the Press. “OASAS
THE
OPIOID
CRISIS
is committed to ensuring that New
Yorkers who need substance use
disorder services are able to receive
those services without leaving New
York State...”
OASAS is actively investigating
several individuals and entities
they suspect are involved in patient
brokering, he adds. New Yorkers
can report suspicious activity by
calling 1-800-553-5790 or emailing
StopTreatmentFraud@oasas.ny.gov.
With those actions, New York became
the latest state to focus on the
dark world of patient brokering that
often involves shadowy addiction recovery
facilities in Florida, Arizona,
and California.
PRESS HEALTH
“Legitimate professional programs do not need
brokers to fill beds,” says Claudia Ragni.
TIPS TO SPOT BODY
BROKERS
• Reaches out through support
groups or social media. • Asks for your insurance card first
thing. • Buys an insurance policy for you to
enter treatment. (This is illegal in 50
states.) • Offers you money to go to a
particular program. (This is illegal in
50 states.) • Pays for your travel to go to rehab.
(This is illegal in 50 states) • Has you sign a HIPPA release for
them and tells you not to speak to
your family. • Says things like: “I work for many
places that have proven success
rates.” (There are no proven success
rates for rehabs.) • Offers free sober living if you go to
the rehab they choose. (This is illegal
in 50 states.)
—Source: Claudia Ragni, Kenneth
Peters Center for Recovery
HOW TO FIND A
REPUTABLE REHAB IN NY
• Go only to an OASAS-licensed
treatment provider for a professional
assessment of need or referral. • Call LICADD 516-747-2606 or 631-
979-1700 or • Call the state's HOPEline at
1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369)
or by texting HOPENY (Short Code
467369).
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