Rehab exec cops to the truth

By: Dana Gentry - July 25, 2018 7:48 am

Michael Cartwright, American Addiction Centers CEO, testifies at House Subcommittee hearing July 24, 2018 Photo: U.S. House of Representatives

If you want a revealing look inside the growth industry of our time — the drug and alcohol rehab sector — take a look at this House subcommittee hearing from Tuesday. Of particular interest is the testimony from American Addiction Center’s CEO Michael Cartwright. The company owns Desert Hope and Solutions in Las Vegas.

Last month, while investigating a story on rehabs, the Current questioned AAC’s Las Vegas executive David Marlon about the company’s practice of paying its call center intake personnel on commission.

Marlon responded in an email “… you are misinformed about our compensation practices. Our compensation practices are legally compliant; in fact, we have advocated for legislation that removes conflicts of interest in addiction industry compensation structures.”

Cartwright was asked Tuesday how AAC pays its call center personnel. His answer comes just before the 1:52:00 mark, in case you want to watch.

“Today they are paid a salary. Today it’s a salary. Prior to July first…and again I go back to the Tennesse law that was passed. I think it’s the most aggressive law in the state related to these bad practices we all want rid of, they were paid on a commission basis.”

Cartwright testified the company also gave up paying bonuses to call center workers “as of July first.”

In other words, AAC gave up “these bad practices we all want rid of” that they previously refused to admit, just in time for the Congressional inquiry into those practices.

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Dana Gentry

Dana Gentry is a native Las Vegan and award-winning investigative journalist. She is a graduate of Bishop Gorman High School and holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Gentry began her career in broadcasting as an intern at Channel 8, KLAS-TV. She later became a reporter at Channel 8, working with Las Vegas TV news legends Bob Stoldal and the late Ned Day. Gentry left her reporting job in 1985 to focus on motherhood. She returned to TV news in 2001 to launch "Face to Face with Jon Ralston" and the weekly business programs In Business Las Vegas and Vegas Inc, which she co-anchored with Jeff Gillan. Dana has four adult children, two grandsons, three dogs, three cats and a cockatoo named Casper.