Rehab Racket
A joint investigation by
The Center for Investigative Reporting & CNN
http://cironline.org/rehabracket
Christina Jewett, CIR, @JewettCIR
Will Evans, CIR, @willCIR
Scott Zamost, CNN, @scottzamostcnn
Drew Griffin, CNN, @DrewGriffinCNN
Title
Findings
In California’s drug and alcohol
rehabilitation program for the poor:
rampant fraud & failed oversight
- bribing clients with cigarettes
- billing for "ghost clients"
- falsely labeling foster kids as addicts
- felons running taxpayer-funded clinics
Find the Paper
Who regulates? Who are the front-line investigators? Who keeps the best records?
County Audits
County Investigations
Public Records Act Requests
-
dozens of requests to state and counties
-
applications for state certification
-
complaints to state from counselors
-
internal emails regarding suspect clinics
*test redactions*
Backgrounding with Court Records
-
LexisNexis
-
Courtlink
-
Pacer
- court websites
Excluded Providers
Database of those barred from participating
in Medicaid and Medicare:
exclusions.oig.hhs.gov
Quantify
If there's no data, make your own
*include lots of fields
Track Themes
organizational tool helps for follow-up stories:
Develop a Methodology
What is the universe?
What is the question?
What distinguishes bad from not bad?
How many SoCal clinics were responsible for fraud?
Red Flags
-
clients bribed with cigarettes
-
billing when counselors were not at work
-
clients without addiction problems
-
signatures appeared to be forged
-
pre-written counseling notes
Be Conservative
- run it by your co-worker
- involve an editor
- pare down to bullet-proof cases
Find the Whistleblowers
-
Staff lists in audits (who disappeared?)
-
Employment lawsuits
-
Wage claims with state labor department
-
Docnpi.com for health providers
- Social media -- who are their FB friends?
DOCNPI.com
State Wage Claims
Finding Whistleblowers cont.
- Sign up for Linkedin for Journalists
-
Don’t rule out sources
Be persistent: call back, show up and call back again
Catch the Fraud in Action
The stakeout
Two reporters sat on a clinic from open to
close.
No more than 30 people went in.
The clinic billed for 179 clients that
day.
Catch the Fraud in Action
Hidden Camera
A receptionist said there was no group therapy.
The clinic billed for 60 clients
that day.
Hold Officials Accountable
deck
By willcir
