An empty hospital bed generates no income. According to a lawsuit filed on February 3, 2025, in the District Court of the District of Columbia, Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS) did everything possible to make sure there were no vacancies at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington (PIW), which UHS owns.
In addition to numerous other charges, the suit accuses PIW of involuntarily hospitalizing patients without cause and fabricating diagnoses that allowed PIW to both keep patients longer and bill at a higher rate. The suit, filed by an anonymous alleged victim, is both for herself and others in a class action who suffered abuse and false imprisonment by PIW.
And You Thought Your Ex Was Bad
The lawsuit states that on April 13, 2024, Jane Doe argued with her estranged husband. The couple has two children and is going through an acrimonious divorce. Doe said she then went for a walk near where she lived in D.C. to clear her head.
Her husband called the police and claimed that Doe had made a suicidal statement, which she denies. He also falsely told the police Doe had a history of a specific psychological diagnosis.
Doe was surrounded by D.C. Metro police officers (MPD), who handcuffed her and took her away in a patrol vehicle. She was delivered to the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP), which provides emergency psychiatric services. The MPD officer who filed the report based his non-professional mental health diagnosis of Doe solely on what her husband had told MPD.
I'm Not Crazy, You're the One That's Crazy
After arriving at CPEP, Doe visited with a physician for under five minutes. Despite performing no diagnostic tests, the doctor committed Doe involuntarily overnight. In his report, the doctor did not state that Doe was suffering from suicidal ideology or other serious mental illnesses. A CPEP nurse confirmed that Doe showed no signs of self-harm and instead quietly read a book.
Later that evening, a different doctor decided to transfer Doe to PIW despite not meeting with her and having no assessment of suicidal ideology from the other doctor. Doe was not included in the making of the decision.
After being transferred to PIW on April 14, Poe met with another doctor, who noted that she was focused on being there for her children and seemed very "future-oriented." Doe told him her exact words to her husband had been, "It feels to me like you don’t want me to exist. It feels like you want me to jump off a bridge."
The doctor agreed she was suffering stress due to her divorce but seemed otherwise unaffected. He claimed he did not have the power to discharge her. Despite his report, PIW involuntarily admitted Doe under the auspices that she was a danger to herself despite two doctors reporting the exact opposite.
Doe did not interact with any other medical personnel on April 14 and 15. When she asked to make a phone call, she was told her unit didn't have outgoing phones available. A doctor briefly met with Doe on April 16 but asked no substantive questions nor offered any treatment.
The doctor filed a mental status report that contradicts Doe's account of the meeting, claiming Doe was disheveled and displaying several affectations. The report also stated that Doe wasn't displaying any suicidal or homicidal ideation. The doctor then filed a safety risk assessment claiming that Doe was displaying suicidal and homicidal ideation. This was used to extend Doe's involuntary stay.
Doe managed to borrow a staffer's phone early on April 17 and contacted an attorney, who got the Superior Court for the District of Columbia Family Court to issue an order vacating the probable cause hearing. Doe met with the doctor who had filed the safety risk assessment at noon, who wrote that Doe's previous ideology had "resolved."
The suit alleges the doctor falsely backdated the time of the meeting to 8 a.m. to make it appear they'd made the assessment before being ordered by the court to release Doe. The discharge also stated that Doe had been offered group treatments and had been seen by a daily treatment team. Doe claims neither of these occurred.
Keeping the Bottom Line Healthy
This is not the first time USH, the largest private owner of for-profit hospitals, has faced legal claims. In 2024, it paid out almost $900 million in claims, judgments, and fines for false billing, sexual abuse of children under their care, and other violations.
The nine counts in the lawsuit accuse UHS and PIW of making false diagnoses to keep beds filled. It notes that PIW gets paid a higher rate for patients diagnosed with a suicidal ideology.
In addition to violations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Fourth, Fifth, and 14th Amendments, the suit also charges UHS and PIW with false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence per se, and negligence.
It seeks injunctive relief enjoining UHS and PIW from violating the ADA again. For the other counts, it requests a minimum of $5 million each.
Related Resources
- Involuntary Commitment: Patient and Public Rights (FindLaw's Healthcare Law)
- False Claims Act and Healthcare Fraud (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
- Healthcare Fraud and the Anti-Kickback Statute (FindLaw's Patient Rights Law)
