Episode 71 | The #RecoveryFirst Podcast with Mike Todd | "Peer Support & Family Education"Episode 71 | The #RecoveryFirst Podcast with Mike Todd | "Peer Support & Family Education"
The Recovery First Addiction Recovery Podcast by Freedom Recovery Services of Greenville
Mike Todd talks about ethical peer support, the dangers of patient brokering, and how families can seek safe, professional help for substance use disorder. He stresses transparency, written safeguards, and dignity for people in recovery.
7:40•14 Apr 2022
Peer Support, Patient Brokering and Protecting Families with Mike Todd
Episode Overview
- Peer support should meet people "where they are" and remain free from financial kickbacks or hidden motives.
- Patient brokering, including taking insurance details for paid referrals, is illegal, immoral, and a serious red flag.
- Families are urged to avoid social media "recovery rock stars" and instead seek assessments from trained professionals and local services.
- Freedom Recovery Services plans to include clear patient brokering clauses in peer support contracts and to maintain full transparency about referrals.
- People with substance use disorder deserve the same ethical, dignified treatment as anyone with other health conditions such as cancer or heart disease.
“"Talking to some knucklehead who claims to be some kind of recovery rock star on social media and sending them the front and back of your insurance card is an absolute no-no."”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction and then stepped up to support others? This episode of The Recovery First Addiction Recovery Podcast focuses on Mike Todd sharing straight-from-the-front-line thoughts on peer support, family education, and the dark side of patient brokering. Speaking candidly, Mike explains how Freedom Recovery Services is building its approach around ethical peer support and harm reduction.
As a certified peer support specialist with years in recovery housing, he talks about "meeting them where they are on a level ground" and helping individuals and families work out their next steps without pressure or hidden agendas. The heart of the conversation is patient brokering – those shady deals where someone takes your insurance details and gets a kickback for sending you or your loved one to a particular treatment centre.
Mike lays it out bluntly: "All of this, folks, is illegal. It's absolutely immoral. It's unethical." He compares it to someone doing the same thing to a person with cancer or heart disease and makes it clear how outrageous that would be. You’ll hear practical advice for families on spotting red flags, like anyone asking for the front and back of an insurance card, or self-proclaimed "recovery rock stars" on social media promising placements.
Mike urges families to seek proper assessments from trained professionals, local services, and doctors instead of trusting strangers online. He also outlines how Freedom Recovery Services plans to build trust: clear contracts with clauses against kickbacks, written assurances about referrals, and complete transparency. The message is simple: people living with substance use disorder deserve ethical care, dignity, and honest support.
If you’re supporting someone in addiction or working in recovery yourself, this episode gives you questions to ask, warning signs to watch for, and reassurance that ethical help is possible – and necessary.
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