Addiction treatment facilities operating on a provisional license after state investigations

Recent operations at one of Montana’s largest addiction treatment companies included shoddy admissions practices, failure to report a patient death and safety concerns in a timely manner, and unlicensed detox and withdrawal practices, according to state investigations completed in mid-October.

Three high-intensity clinical facilities run by Recovery Centers of Montana were inspected by the state health department’s Office of Inspector General beginning in late August in response to complaints that have not been publicly specified. One of the facilities, located in Clinton, voluntarily closed in September following the death of one of its patients, as Montana Free Press previously reported. After a temporary hold on new admissions, the state is now allowing the company to operate its other two facilities in Hungry Horse and Columbia Falls on a provisional 90-day license and a corrective plan directed by licensing officials, a copy of which was shared with MTFP by the health department.

In the inspections spearheaded by investigator Stephanie Galle, state officials reported interviewing 60 staff members and 75 clients and reviewing 58 client records and 81 staff records. Investigators found that many patients at all three facilities lacked a chemical dependency evaluation upon admission, and dozens more had never filled out an application for the program. Of 27 patient files reviewed from the Clinton facility, none included written documentation that the admission had been reviewed by a licensed social worker, therapist or addiction counselor.