"Health & Medical News"

Expensive and exclusive addiction treatment programs in Malibu, Calif., like Promises and Passages have more to worry about than wildfires: some critics and former patients say that the programs are more concerned with making money than treating patients, the Los Angeles Times reported Oct. 9.

“They’re scam artists,” said Garfield Logan, a professional surfer who paid $42,000 to Promises Malibu for a month-long rehab stay but was kicked out of the program after five days for belligerent behavior. The program kept the money, and Logan — along with others — has sued, alleging breach of contract and unfair business practices.

Many of the Malibu programs demand upfront payment in full for the first month, and refuse refunds if patients leave treatment early or are expelled. “If you leave, your money stays,” said Passages cofounder Chris Prentiss.

“People do leave programs, they do get expelled from programs when they act out,” said Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, executive director of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. “That’s not a reason not to be reimbursed for services that aren’t received. It’s important not to take advantage of someone who is ill.”

Unlike most treatment programs in the U.S., the Malibu centers are for-profit enterprises, with fees that can double those at the? Betty Ford Center, one of the nation’s preeminent nonprofit treatment programs. Tucky Masterson, who had to sue Promises to get back a portion of the $35,000 she paid for treatment after dropping out of the program, later got help at the nonprofit Hazelden program.

“I was treated at Hazelden — I was there for three days — and they charged me to the penny for those three days,” said Masterson, who now runs a sobriety house for women. “With Promises, I had to fight tooth and nail to get any money back.”

Both Promises and rival Passages Addiction Cure Center claim high success rates, but researchers say that the claims are impossible to verify. “A cure? That’s pretty good,” said Scott Walters, a University of Texas School of Public Health researcher who conducted a landmark study on treatment outcomes. “People have been making claims about successful treatment since the dawn of time, since the snake-oil salesmen … Anybody can make any claim they want and get away with it. It’s essentially an unregulated industry.”

Promises also has been cited by state regulators for providing medical services outside the scope of their licenses. However, the programs continue to include physicians on their staff listings, saying that they are consultants.

The state has issued about 20 citations against nine addiction centers in Malibu since 2002, whereas none have been issued against the four Phoenix Houses in Los Angeles and Orange County, which have more treatment beds. The Malibu Ranch Treatment Center was closed in January after regulators found that alcohol and other drugs had been taken onto the property, the program had no licensed or registered counselors, staffers did not supervise residents, and that the program exceeded its treatment capacity.

“We didn’t close down because we were running a substandard treatment center,” said Malibu Ranch director Jerry Schoenkopf. “We were having economic problems.”

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