CleanSlate Centers, Unlicensed Prescribing & Billing, Massachusetts 2023

BOSTON, MA - In a shocking turn of events, CleanSlate Centers, Inc. and Total Wellness Centers, LLC d/b/a CleanSlate, two companies operating opioid addiction treatment centers in Massachusetts and other states, have reached a $750,000 civil settlement with the U.S. Attorney's Office to resolve allegations of unlicensed prescribing and improper billing.

The allegations stem from a period between March 2012 and February 2014, during which CleanSlate clinics allegedly contacted pharmacies representing that physicians had prescribed buprenorphine (Suboxone) for patients when, in fact, only midlevel practitioners had seen the patients. Days later, after patients had already picked up their medication from the pharmacies, part-time physicians employed by CleanSlate for as little as six hours per month accessed the patients' electronic medical records. After reviewing the patient visit information, the part-time physicians signed the prescriptions, backdating them to the visit dates.

This action violated the Controlled Substances Act and regulations issued by the DEA. The government also alleged that CleanSlate repeatedly billed Medicare for patient visits using physicians' identification numbers when, in fact, the patients saw midlevel practitioners and no physicians were on clinic premises to supervise those practitioners.

CleanSlate operates 17 clinics, offering treatment to individuals addicted to opioids, including heroin and prescription painkillers, through medication and counseling. The medication, buprenorphine, is a Schedule III controlled substance that also can be used to treat pain.

Until recently, only a physician could prescribe buprenorphine for addiction treatment. Congress modified the law in July 2016, allowing nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction treatment, provided they meet certain training and state-law licensing requirements. In Massachusetts, those requirements have not yet been established.

Defendant: CleanSlate Centers, Inc. and Total Wellness Centers, LLC d/b/a CleanSlate

Criminal Charges: Unlicensed Prescribing and Improper Billing

City and State: Boston, Massachusetts

Exact Date: 2023 (settlement date)

Sentence or Outcome: $750,000 civil settlement

Dollar Amounts: $750,000 (civil settlement)

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/cleanslate-addiction-treatment-centers-settle-allegations-unlicensed-prescribing-and