Inspectors can issue citations and require providers to submit plans of correction, but they can’t fine facilities for violations — a tool some in the industry say could weed out bad actors and prevent ongoing harm.
The department can also issue provisional licenses — a designation indicating a provider failed to meet several state requirements — tell a facility to reduce the number of clients it serves, or attempt to permanently revoke a license. But strong disciplinary action is rarely taken, the investigation found. As of early April, the agency had revoked just one treatment provider’s license since 2012.
Experts, state officials, clients, and facility employees who spoke to Spotlight PA and KHN raised a number of possible improvements including frequent unannounced inspections to give the department a more accurate view of a treatment facility’s typical practices. The public could also be given easier access to more information about past actions taken against facilities, as well as concrete measures to compare the quality of care across providers.