DC’s only private psychiatric hospital has a long well-documented track record of neglect and abuse
Washington, DC–A new class action lawsuit alleges that the Psychiatric Institute of Washington (PIW), under the control and ownership of Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS), has engaged in a years-long pattern of patient mistreatment, in violation of federal and state law. This lawsuit was brought by a local woman, on behalf of a class of similarly-situated former patients of PIW, who experienced mistreatment after being involuntarily hospitalized at the facility. The lawsuit comes after similar findings and investigations by the Council of the District of Columbia, patient advocates DC Disability Rights, and other victims.
The lawsuit describes a systemic pattern of neglect and abuse at PIW. It alleges that PIW engages in widespread falsification of patients’ medical records and unlawful involuntary hospitalizations, fails to provide indicated and necessary treatment, is chronically and intentionally understaffed, and subjects patients to unsafe and unsanitary conditions. The class action focuses on UHS’s corporate strategy of prioritizing profits over the safety and wellbeing of patients.
“In this case, we’ve alleged that the Psychiatric Institute of Washington and their corporate leadership at Universal Health Services will stop at nothing to increase the number of patients and maximize profits and shareholder value, regardless of the impact on their patient population,” said Drew LaFramboise, principal at Joseph Greenwald & Laake, and attorney for the plaintiff.
UHS has been subject to numerous investigations and lawsuits, including an October 28, 2024 hearing by the D.C. City Council Committee on Health focused on PIW and the District’s oversight of the facility. A 2022 investigation by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee that found that residential behavioral health providers, including UHS, “optimize per diems by filling large facilities to capacity and maximize profit by concurrently reducing the number and quality of staff in facilities.” In 2020, the United States settled a lawsuit against UHS for $122 million for their alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act. The United States’ suit alleged UHS’s failure to provide adequate staffing, training, and supervision of staff, regular use of improper restraint and seclusion, failure to discharge patients when hospitalization was no longer necessary, failure to develop and/or update treatment plans, and inadequate psychotherapy and discharge planning, as pertaining to beneficiaries of federal health insurance programs.
“We are proud to represent our client and others who may come forward in their search for accountability from the Psychiatric Institute of Washington for claims of systematic, involuntary hospitalization and other harm,” said Veronica Nannis, principal at Joseph Greenwald & Laake and attorney for the plaintiff.
Psychiatric Institute of Washington, the only private psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C. and is located at 4228 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. Universal Health Services, Inc., the largest owner and operator of for-profit hospitals in the country, and is located in King of Prussia, PA.
