‘Corrupt practices’ by Pierce County drug-treatment provider endangered public, DOH says

TACOMA – A substance-abuse treatment provider operating three facilities in Pierce County has been ordered to cease accepting new patients and safely release existing ones after the state suspended its licenses and declared “immediate jeopardy” to patient safety.

Rainier Recovery, which runs centers in Lakewood, Gig Harbor and Puyallup, is accused of altering patient records to maximize profits and employing unqualified staff, according to investigative documents from the Washington State Department of Health.

The treatment provider has 28 days to formally respond to the allegations and cannot provide services to patients in the state until the charges are resolved, the DOH said Tuesday in announcing the licensing suspensions.

In a statement to The News Tribune, Rainier Recovery rejected accusations of wrongdoing.

“Our client denies the allegations raised by the Department of Health,” attorney Seth Rosenberg, who’s representing the treatment provider, said in an email. “We look to the administrative process to clear them of the allegations.”

Rainier Recovery may contest the suspension and request an adjudicative proceeding as well as a hearing to show cause whether an immediate jeopardy exists, according to the DOH.

The allegations against Rainier Recovery Center LLC were laid out in a 25-page “notice of immediate enforcement action” sent Tuesday to the provider by the DOH. The notice followed the department’s investigation, which included interviews with current and ex-employees earlier this year and reviews of patient, employee and other records, the document shows.

Among the claims, Rainier Recovery is accused of colluding with an unnamed law firm to ensure court-ordered clients were compliant with sobriety. In exchange, the firm purportedly would continue to send patients to the provider. Rainier Recovery allegedly altered patient clinical records at the request of an attorney to underplay their clients’ needs and minimize court scrutiny on them, according to the DOH.

The alleged nondisclosures presented “an immediate risk” to clients and the general public, the DOH said, noting that defendants charged or convicted of driving under the influence might continue to drive impaired without adequate monitoring by the licensed agencies entrusted with doing so.

A former employee, who claimed to have been fired without a reason, reported to the DOH in July that staff falsified urinalysis testing results, which can show the presence of drugs, state documents showed. Staff removed positive tests from a refrigerator so they weren’t sent out for further testing and marked results as negative in patient records, the employee said.

The employee reported one instance when a patient’s positive test for fentanyl was changed to a negative result in their file. At least three other workers reported that patient records were altered to appease an attorney or the law firm, according to the DOH.

“Rainier Recovery management’s corrupt practices are motivated by financial considerations instead of the clinical needs of the patients and the needs of the criminal justice system to accurately monitor the patient’s treatment status,” the DOH’s notice said.

The treatment provider also is accused of employing people to be substance-use disorder professional trainees (SUDPTs) who didn’t meet the required educational or training standards.

One employee reported to DOH that many of the staff were not qualified or properly trained. Another claimed that employees submitted applications to the state to get credentialed but began conducting assessments and treatment before their applications were approved.

After a patient died in February from acute intoxication with fentanyl, it was determined that a SUDPT hadn’t gathered sufficient information to determine the appropriate level of care for the patient, according to the DOH’s investigation.

The purportedly lacking qualifications among staff has led to “an extensive pattern” of substandard services, including false or inaccurate assessments, treatment plans and monitoring, the DOH said in its notice.

Rainier Recovery offers substance use disorder counseling and addiction medicine services, according to the treatment provider’s website, which said it provides a “safe and supportive environment.”

“We believe change is possible no matter your situation and that with a little help and guidance, you can transform your life starting today,” the website reads.