Treatment Solutions Founder Defends Against Urine Test Fraud Allegations

10/14/2013 -ATIN – 

Extensive Urine Testing Necessary

Bevell did not address the $6M figure as being accurate or inaccurate, or how exactly such a small treatment center open for such a short time could rack up such large urine testing claims. But he does not deny that Leading Edge conducted extensive urine testing of its clientele at the center, saying the open nature of the PHP clinical model, with clients having frequent opportunities to use in a non-lockdown environment, necessitated frequent testing in order to maintain the integrity of Leading Edge’s census and ensure clients were not using in treatment. Bevell did not address exact specific levels of testing at Leading Edge, nor did he address the exact specific levels of reimbursement for that testing, either on average per test or in the aggregate during the time the center was open.

Michael Cartwright and AAC

Treatment Solutions was acquired by Michael Cartwright’s American Addiction Centers, AAC, in mid-2012, which closed Leading Edge early this year. In an interview with Treatment Magazine around mid-year, Cartwright said that he closed Leading Edge largely because New Jersey regulatory authorities had issues with the Florida Model clinical setup of the center, which is a model not commonly used in the state. Sources tell Treatment Magazine that Cartwright’s relationship with Treatment Solutions goes back many years to the era in which he was CEO and founder of Foundations Recovery Network, FRN, and to the time seven or eight years ago when Cartwright sold FRN to Chicago area based private equity interests. Cartwright has promised to contact Treatment Magazine to discuss the urine testing allegations against Leading Edge, but has yet to follow through. Cartwright also said in the earlier interview that he was scouting real estate in New Jersey that might be suitable for use in opening a treatment center following the decision to close Leading Edge.

Personnel Interconnections

There have been strong personnel interconnections between Avee/Alere, the urine testing company defendant in the $36M civil suit brought by Horizon Blue Cross NJ, and Treatment Solutions and now American Addiction Centers. For example, Stephanie Bickley has worked as a senior sales and marketing executive at Avee/Alere while her husband, Brendan Bickley, was for years a top Treatment Solutions executive who later went on to work for AAC as the executive in charge of that company’s Florida operations.

Connections on Evidence at Conference

These strong interconnections have been on evidence nowhere else more than at Cartwright’s Las Vegas Lifestyles Intervention conference, a gathering at which he has attempted to make lightening strike twice by imitating his success while at FRN with the Moments of Change conference, arguably the most successful addiction treatment industry conference. Lifestyles Intervention 2013 just wrapped up last week with Alere, which acquired Avee in a $120M deal, as the event’s principal sponsor. Alere executives have made claims to Treatment Magazine that Alere is the largest provider of drug testing services to the addiction treatment industry.

read our breaking story detailing Horizon Blue Cross NJ’s huge $36M urine testing fraud suit

read our story on how centers have been getting large urine test reimbursements for years

read our Special Report: Cartwright Rides Again

HERE IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE JIM BEVELL EMAIL:

I just saw the article about the Horizon lawsuit. I want to go
on record as saying that Leading Edge did nothing wrong we were a PHP
and IOP provider with an open community. We would have been
irresponsible to our clients and our families to not insure that our
community was drug free. The only way to do this is to frequently test
our population. What would Horizon have us do rely solely on the self
report of our clients. Every treatment plan for a client with a
substance abuse disorder has abstinence as a treatment goal how are we
supposed to measure that goal if we don’t drug test. I can’t speak for
the industry as a whole but I can say at all times our drug testing
policies were in line with best clinical practices. I am quite sure that
Leading Edge will be vindicated when this lawsuit is tried. BC Horizon
has been sued and lost on many occasions for unfair practices to deny
care for their members recently they lost a multi million dollar lawsuit
for refusing to pay for services for their members with Eating
Disorders. They are constantly trying to find ways to not have to pay
for legitimate services for their members with behavioral health
disorders because at their core Horizon’s culture believes that these
are not “real diseases” I would ask everyone to remember that any

one in America can file a lawsuit all it takes is a few hundred dollars in

filing fees. However that does not immediately give credibility to their

claims.

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