SCIOTO COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) – The Ohio Department of Behavioral Health announced it is enhancing oversight and accountability measures to address fraud perpetrated by certain drug rehab facilities across the state.
According to State Rep. Justin Pizzulli (R-Scioto County), the state is also pausing any new applications to open rehab facilities. Pizzulli said he’s been sounding the alarm bell for years.
“Well, it’s kind of an obvious thing in Southern Ohio and in Portsmouth,” he told WSAZ. “You can’t walk down a corner without looking around and seeing another new rehab that has popped up almost like a mushroom on every single corner.”
Pizzulli said there have been too few standards in place to keep bad actors out, which has allowed for what he considers to be rampant fraud.
“A lot of them don’t even know what they’re doing because there has been no real standard, no real licensure system, and no accreditation,” he said. “And so any Tom, Dick, and Harry can open up a rehab recovery house and start billing Medicaid. And that’s not really what we want.”
“We’re just taking a step backwards temporarily to put a freeze on new applications and to be able to manage the ones that we’re working with now, to make sure that people are getting good access to care and to develop an actual standard for this state,” Pizzulli continued.
The Board of Behavioral Health said they are working on standards to address the fraudulent use of taxpayer money.
“The overwhelming majority of Ohio’s behavioral health providers and community partners are dedicated professionals who deliver life-saving services every day,” Ohio DBH Director Tia Marcel Moretti wrote in a press release. “At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure public resources are being used appropriately, effectively, and in a manner that maintains the trust of Ohio taxpayers.”
Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman said his department has seen the kind of fraud being targeted.
“I have information coming in, reference to fraud, and of course we are looking into the information that we obtain,” he told WSAZ. “The money should be always going to the ones that are legitimate and are providing legitimate services to those who need it.”
Pizzulli emphasized that the freeze does not affect drug rehab facilities that are already open, and that “good actors” have nothing to worry about.
“You should know that if you are getting into this industry as a business model, exploiting vulnerable people … if you are abusing taxpayer dollars or turning recovery into a business model rather than a recovery model – understand that the era of that is now over,” he said. “We’re declaring a war on that fraud, and we’re going to win.”
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