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Editorial Standards
Our Editorial Policy
How Drug Rehab Headquarters researches, reviews, and verifies addiction treatment content — and the standards that govern everything we publish.
📅 Last reviewed: March 2026📋 Review cycle: Quarterly✅ Verified by: Licensed clinical staff
On this page
- Our Mission and Editorial Independence
- Core Editorial Principles
- How We Research and Review Facilities
- Ranking and Evaluation Criteria
- Our Clinical Review Team
- Conflicts of Interest and Advertising
- Corrections and Updates
- Contact Our Editorial Team
Our Mission and Editorial Independence
Drug Rehab Headquarters exists to help individuals and families navigate one of the most consequential decisions they will ever face. The stakes in addiction treatment are high — the wrong program, the wrong level of care, or misleading information can have real consequences for someone’s health and recovery.
That responsibility shapes everything we publish. Our editorial content is produced independently of commercial relationships. Facilities do not pay to be listed, recommended, or ranked favorably on this site. Our editorial team operates separately from our business and partnerships teams, and no advertiser or partner has the ability to influence our clinical evaluations, rankings, or editorial coverage.
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Our core commitment
Every recommendation on Drug Rehab Headquarters is based on clinical merit, verified accreditation, and independently assessed quality indicators — not on commercial relationships or paid placements.
Core Editorial Principles
Six principles govern everything we research, write, and publish:
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Accuracy first
Clinical information is verified against current evidence-based standards before publication. We do not publish claims we cannot support with credible sources.
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Transparency
We clearly disclose our review methodology, the criteria behind our rankings, and any relevant commercial relationships that readers should be aware of.
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Evidence-based sourcing
We cite peer-reviewed research, federal agencies (SAMHSA, NIDA, NIMH), and recognized clinical bodies. We do not rely on anecdote or unverified claims.
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Editorial independence
Our editorial and commercial operations are separate. No advertiser, facility, or partner has input into our rankings, reviews, or clinical content.
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Regular updates
Treatment standards, facility accreditations, and program details change. We review and update content quarterly and flag outdated information promptly.
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Patient-centered perspective
Our content is written for people making decisions about their own care or the care of someone they love — not for industry professionals or administrators.
How We Research and Review Facilities
Our facility reviews are built on a structured research process that combines public data verification, accreditation checks, and clinical assessment. Here’s how it works:
1
Accreditation verification
We verify each facility’s accreditation status directly through The Joint Commission’s online database and CARF’s accreditation directory. We do not rely on self-reported accreditation claims from facilities.
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SAMHSA treatment locator cross-check
Facility details — including services offered, populations served, payment types accepted, and licensing — are cross-referenced against SAMHSA’s National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) data.
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State licensing confirmation
We verify that facilities hold current state licensure for the treatment services they advertise, using state behavioral health licensing databases where available.
4
Clinical staff assessment
We assess whether programs employ the appropriate licensed clinical staff for the level of care they offer — including addiction medicine physicians for detox programs and licensed therapists for residential and outpatient care.
5
Patient review analysis
We analyze patient and family reviews across multiple platforms to identify consistent patterns in care quality, staff responsiveness, and program integrity. Individual reviews are not treated as definitive, but patterns across large review sets are considered meaningful signal.
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Clinical team review
All facility assessments and clinical content are reviewed by a licensed addiction specialist before publication. Reviewers flag inaccuracies, unsupported claims, and content that does not reflect current evidence-based standards.
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What we do not do
We do not accept facility-provided information at face value without independent verification. We do not publish ratings or rankings without conducting our own assessment. We do not allow facilities to review or edit content about themselves before publication.
Ranking and Evaluation Criteria
When we rank or recommend treatment facilities, the following criteria are applied consistently across every program we evaluate. These are weighted by clinical significance, not by how well a facility markets itself.
| Criterion | What we assess and why it matters |
|---|---|
| Clinical accreditation | Joint Commission or CARF accreditation indicates independent verification of safety, staffing, and care quality standards. Its absence is a meaningful gap for any program we review. |
| Evidence-based treatment model | Programs must use therapies with demonstrated clinical outcomes — including CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, and structured relapse prevention. We do not give favorable ratings to programs whose model is not clinically grounded. |
| Licensed clinical staff | We assess whether programs employ master’s-level therapists, addiction-credentialed physicians, and licensed psychiatric providers appropriate to their level of care. |
| Dual diagnosis capability | Given the high prevalence of co-occurring mental health disorders among people with substance use disorders, we assess whether programs have the clinical infrastructure to treat both conditions concurrently. |
| Aftercare planning | Programs that lack structured step-down planning and aftercare coordination are rated lower, regardless of the quality of their residential or inpatient programming. |
| Cost and payment transparency | We favor programs that clearly disclose insurance acceptance, out-of-pocket expectations, and financing options before admission. Lack of pricing transparency is a red flag we note explicitly. |
| Patient outcome indicators | Where available, we consider completion rates, alumni program quality, and patient review patterns as supplementary outcome indicators. |
Our Clinical Review Team
All clinical content published on Drug Rehab Headquarters is reviewed by credentialed addiction treatment professionals before publication. Our reviewers bring direct clinical experience in residential, outpatient, and dual diagnosis treatment settings.
CR
Clinical Reviewer
CADC-II · 12+ years
Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor with experience in Southern California residential and outpatient treatment programs.
MR
Medical Reviewer
ASAM-certified · Addiction Medicine
Board-certified addiction medicine physician with expertise in medically supervised detox and MAT protocols.
EC
Editorial Consultant
LCSW · Dual Diagnosis Specialist
Licensed clinical social worker specializing in co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.
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Reviewer disclosure
Clinical reviewers are compensated for their review work. None of our reviewers have financial relationships with treatment facilities listed on this site. Reviewers disclose any potential conflicts of interest before accepting review assignments.
Conflicts of Interest and Advertising
✅ We do not accept payment to influence rankings
Drug Rehab Headquarters generates revenue through advertising and referral partnerships with treatment providers. It is important to understand how this works — and how it does not affect our editorial content.
What advertising relationships mean
Some facilities advertise on this site or participate in our referral program. These commercial relationships fund the research, clinical review, and editorial work that makes this site possible. However, advertising relationships do not influence whether a facility is listed, how it is ranked, or what our editorial content says about it.
What advertising relationships do not mean
Paying for advertising does not improve a facility’s ranking or rating. Non-advertising facilities are evaluated using the same criteria as advertising partners. Our editorial team is not informed of advertising relationships when conducting facility assessments. Advertisers do not review or approve content about themselves before it is published.
Referral relationships
When you call our helpline, you may be referred to a treatment facility. In some cases, we receive a referral fee for that connection. This does not mean we only recommend facilities that pay referral fees. Our referral recommendations are based on clinical fit for your situation — not on commercial relationships. We will always refer you to the most appropriate option for your needs, regardless of whether a financial relationship exists.
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How to verify our claims
You can independently verify any facility’s accreditation through The Joint Commission’s public directory, CARF’s accreditation search, and SAMHSA’s treatment locator.
Corrections and Updates
Treatment facility details — accreditation status, programs offered, staff credentials, insurance acceptance, and contact information — change over time. We are committed to keeping content current and to correcting errors promptly when they are identified.
Our update process
All facility-specific content is reviewed on a quarterly cycle. Pages covering clinical topics (levels of care, treatment modalities, medication protocols) are reviewed semi-annually or whenever significant changes to evidence-based standards are published by SAMHSA, NIDA, or ASAM.
When errors are identified — whether by our team, a reader, or a facility — corrections are made promptly. Substantive corrections are noted on the relevant page with the correction date.
Recent content updates
March 2026Full review of all Alabama and California state guide pages. Facility accreditation status re-verified. Cost ranges updated to reflect 2026 market data.
January 2026Updated MAT protocol information to reflect current ASAM guidelines. Added sober living and aftercare sections to all state guide pages.
November 2025Removed three facilities from California listings following lapsed Joint Commission accreditation. Listings reinstated upon re-accreditation verification.
September 2025Expanded dual diagnosis content across all state pages. Updated fentanyl and opioid statistics to reflect 2024–2025 CDC data.
How to report an error
If you believe any information on this site is inaccurate, outdated, or misleading, please contact our editorial team at [email protected]. We review all submissions and respond within 5 business days.
Contact Our Editorial Team
For questions about our editorial standards, correction requests, or inquiries about our review methodology, reach out directly to our editorial team. For clinical questions or help finding treatment, our counselors are available 24/7.
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