Why a Psychiatric Hospital Held People Against Their Will

Recently, New York Times reporters spent months investigating Acadia Healthcare, one of the largest chains of psychiatric hospitals. The chain operates psychiatric hospitals in 19 states, including in South Carolina. The facility has been accused of holding patients against their will – not for medical reasons, but for financial ones,

The investigation revealed that Acadia Healthcare held certain patients against their will, sometimes for a week, until their insurance ran out in an effort to maximize payouts to the hospital.

Dozens of patients and employees alerted the authorities to these wrongful detainments. In some cases, judges were forced to intervene so that Acadia would release patients. Some patients went to emergency rooms seeking routine mental health care, and were later sent to Acadia facilities and locked in. In short, a facility would keep people that didn’t need to be there.

In one case, a social worker spent six days inside an Acadia hospital in Florida. When police officers raided an Acadia hospital in Georgia, 16 patients told investigators that they had been kept there for no valid reason.

According to news reports, Acadia charges $2,200 a day for some patients, and uses various strategies to persuade insurers to cover longer stays. For example, Acadia has exaggerated patients’ symptoms and tweaked medication dosages.

For months, the New York Times reporters looked over court files, police reports, and complaints to state authorities and health inspections in an effort to discover what was taking place. They started talking to people and found out that many patients were being held involuntarily.

Contact Us Today

If you or a family member has been wrongfully detained at an Acadia facility, you may have a claim for damages.

A physician’s or facility’s reckless or negligent behavior may constitute malpractice. If you or a loved one has been a victim, contact a Columbia medical malpractice lawyer from Simmons Law Firm right away. We are committed to helping you get justice. Schedule a consultation today by filling out the online form or calling (803) 779-4600.

Source:

nytimes.com/2024/09/09/insider/acadia-healthcare.html