An interesting article from Jason Schwartz on Jan 23,2023 http://recoveryreview.blog "Zero Sum, Destructive Treatment Marketing" discussed the new marketing campaign from Ophelia Health named "F*CK REHAB."

It has been my experience (and many others) that if you can find a rehab treatment center, qualify to get in, pass the insurance requirements, pass the 'can you afford to pay the 50% co-pay' questions, and be able to go on a waiting list, then you can take advantage of an inpatient treatment center. You will likely find that if you or your family is NOT independently wealthy, your insurance will boot you out after a short period of time.  THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT REHABS ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL!

if you are critical enough to qualify for inpatient care, short term stays (2 - 4 weeks or less) are not enough time to make a difference. In fact the danger of overdosing and dying after a short term rehab stay increase enormously.

So it goes when profit drives the industry-- The evidence provided by Ophelia Health to support telehealth services and medication assisted treatments are limited, outdated and weak. It makes sense that the cheaper option would drive the healthcare system. If you are only covering these services because it is mandatory, then it is the shareholders, not the patients who matter most.  Insurance companies subcontract their addiction services to the lowest bidder which is another way of saying that costs are cut to the barest minimum allowable. According to Mr. Schwartz' research, retention rates for being compliant with buprenorphine treatment (defined as use over 80% of days) over 6 months were 31% for the office based group and 12% for the telehealth group. 18% of each group experiences a medically treated overdose during the study period. Mr. Schwartz then asks the question, " Are those outcomes explained to patients? Are they offered other options? 

I'm not saying that inpatient rehabs are not without problems, but there are many horror stories connected to their way of operating. I have heard first hand that it is easy to buy drugs in some of these facilities and I have heard this to be true by more than one.  However, it is another option that should be considered as a weapon in the arsenal bag to fight this nightmare. The problem is that unless you can find a rehab to keep you longer than six months, the statistics on success are dismal.

The reality of our rehabs is that it may take months on a waitlist before you actually get in. Although some may do detox on site, some do not and you will still need to go through a detox process before you can get in. After all of the frustration and the expense of the detox process and the co pay for the treatment center, the short term treatment period is ineffective and you find yourself back where you started once released, only now you or your loved one is extremely vulnerable to over dose because your tolerance level is changed, much like the vulnerability of a turtle who has temporarily left his shell.