What We Learned
Ask questions.
If the facility says it’s going to do in-depth testing, ask what it is. What testing do they anticipate? Do not let them dodge the question by saying that it will be determined during the “observation period.” They know if it’s going to be basic MMPI-type testing or more involved. If it is more basic testing, make sure the facility is not “dragging it out” for weeks.
Do they really treat the disorder they claim to treat? Menninger states that it treats autism spectrum disorder on its website, but its staff told us they do not.
Menninger also states that it treats eating disorders, but that’s not the whole truth. After our child was at Menninger for almost 3 months, they “identified” an eating disorder but said she was “medically unstable” and we would need to send her to another facility. If someone is medically stable, mentally or physically, do they need in-patient clinical help? No.
So, make sure there isn’t a hidden caveat on any condition your loved one has that later could be used as an excuse not to treat them after they’ve been at the facility for some time.
Stay informed.
Because we are lawyers, we ask questions. And it was only through asking lots of questions and follow-up questions would we found out things like our child was not taking her medication. By asking questions, and trying to stay informed, we learned that our daughter was not, and had not been, participating in much of the treatment program. In other words, an unhealthy person had been directing their care and treatment and we were not made aware because she was eighteen.
Look at the facility’s financials.
In this case, because Menninger is a tax-exempt company, its tax filings and balance sheets are public information. You can see the latest balance sheets and IRS Form 990 here.
Many facilities are similar. In Menninger’s situation, it has a $37,000,000.00 annual salary obligation. Just the salary obligation. And, it’s cash is considerably low for such an organization. Which now, in hindsight, makes sense that CPAS took the entire 3 weeks, why she was not diagnosed with ASD, a condition Menninger does not treat, why we were never informed about her lack of treatment or self-medication until many months, and why we paid nearly $200,000 before our child was classified as “medically unstable” and “dumped” from the facility under the guise of an eating disorder.
In short, if your facility has an extremely high payroll, with low cash, ask yourself if your loved one is being kept longer and taking longer because they are getting the care they need, or if other factors – such as being in a private pay facility – is driving the treatment.
Trust in yourself.
You know your loved one. Don’t fall victim to the “who do you believe, me or your lying eyes?” If you do not have a good feeling about a facility and things are not adding up, make a change. It’s hard, and you want to trust the professionals, but staying too long at one facility could lead to “treatment fatigue” and you could get your loved one into the correct place, but because they spent months, or longer at the wrong one, they are exhausted and don’t get all they can out of the correct and best facility.