The business conduct of addiction rehabilitation facilities was under the microscope this week as the State Commission of Investigation held a public hearing on illicit business practices and abuses in the industry.
Wednesday’s hearing centered on testimony from the owner of the Kingsway Recovery Center, an addiction treatment center in Mullica Hill. SCI agents testified that workers at the facility were instructed to engage in certain unethical practices, such as contaminating the urine samples of clients doing well in their recovery with those that were not, to make it seem as if the client was not making progress, allowing Kingsway to continue billing insurance companies for services at a high rate.
Two months after the SCI had served him a subpoena, Kingsway founder Nicholas DeSimone listened to the allegations and vehemently defended his company over a four-hour meeting. Amid a series of questions from SCI Counsel Lisa Cialino, DeSimone told commissioners that he wasn’t aware of any unethical behavior.
Tiffany Williams Brewer, chair of the commission, said DiSimone’s testimony raised additional questions, so there could be more public hearings before the SCI submits a written report to the Legislature.
