The #RecoveryFirst Podcast with Mike Todd Bonus: "What is Patient Brokering?"The #RecoveryFirst Podcast with Mike Todd Bonus: "What is Patient Brokering?"
The Recovery First Addiction Recovery Podcast by Freedom Recovery Services of Greenville
Mike Todd explains what patient brokering is, highlighting red flags such as requests for insurance details and repeated out-of-state placements. He stresses the importance of local, ethical treatment and working with trained, vetted professionals rather than social media personalities.
9:12•18 Jul 2021
Spotting Patient Brokers: Keeping Recovery Local and Safe
Episode Overview
- Be cautious of self-promoted "experts" on social media, especially those asking for insurance information or offering to place loved ones in treatment.
- Keeping treatment and recovery local is presented as safer and more sustainable than sending people to distant states.
- Work with trained professionals, vetted organisations, and trusted family doctors rather than informal online groups.
- Unregulated recovery housing can be dangerous, with risks including unethical operators and potential human trafficking.
- Families are urged to value formal training and ethical standards over charisma, popularity, or tragic backstories.
“"If anybody asks you for the front and back of your insurance card, folks, huge red flag."”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This bonus episode of The Recovery First Addiction Recovery Podcast takes a sharp, no-nonsense look at one of the shadier corners of addiction treatment: patient brokering. Host Mike Todd talks straight about so‑called “experts” who appear on social media, often with polished personas and tragic backstories, and how they might be quietly funnelling vulnerable people into treatment centres for profit.
As he bluntly puts it, “If anybody asks you for the front and back of your insurance card, folks, huge red flag.” You’ll hear why Mike is wary of Facebook personalities, self-appointed gurus, and groups that say “reach out” but then steer families toward out‑of‑state facilities, sometimes multiple times, while insurance gets repeatedly billed.
He shares examples of people being sent far from home, only to be bounced between several centres, offered kickbacks, or left stranded when things don’t work out. The conversation stays grounded in practical advice. Mike stresses keeping treatment local whenever possible, involving trusted family doctors, and working with trained professionals and vetted organisations like recovery community organisations and established treatment providers.
He also raises serious concerns about unregulated recovery housing and even the risk of human trafficking, warning that some houses are owned by people with active ties to drug dealing. This episode is aimed squarely at families and individuals who are desperate for help and might be tempted to trust the loudest voice online. The tone is candid, sometimes uncomfortable, but deeply protective of people in crisis.
Mike’s message is clear: seek people who are trained, transparent, and accountable, and “keep your family members close. Keep them local.” If you or someone you care about is looking for help, this honest breakdown of patient brokering might save you from stepping into a very avoidable trap.
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