How we vet treatment centers — and why the list is short
A center can’t buy its way onto HEAL’s list. Here is the standard every listing has to meet, who decides, and how we keep it current.
Search for treatment online and you’ll find thousands of listings, many of them paid placements. HEAL’s list is deliberately short. Every center on it has met a published standard, and none of them paid to be there.
The standard
- Firsthand experience. Someone we trust has been a patient there, and a member of our team has walked through the site in person.
- Credentials. We verify state licenses, accreditation, ownership and regulatory status.
- Clinical practice. Qualified staff, a medically sound withdrawal policy, naloxone on site and in discharge plans, and a real grievance process.
- Honest admissions. Admissions staff and counselors are who they say they are.
- Follow-up. Evidence of consent-based check-ins with alumni at day 3, 30 and 90 — and an open invitation for former patients to tell us how it went.
- Disclosures. Ownership and any financial relationships are published on the listing.
- Committee sign-off. At least two reviewers approve, including at least one independent member with no ties to the center. Anyone with a conflict says so, and their vote doesn’t count.
Staying on the list
Every approval expires after a year. Listings that aren’t re-reviewed in time drop off automatically, and a change of ownership or medical director triggers a fresh review.
What we will never do
- Take money per admission or per referral — directly or indirectly.
- Sell a better position, a badge or a faster review.
- Advertise inside meetings, the workbook or crisis flows.
- Sell member data. Ever.
Last updated October 28, 2026. Stories reflect personal experience and are not medical advice.
Vetted centers
Looking for care?Start with a short, honest list.
Every center meets a published standard and is re-reviewed every year.
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