Telehealth ketamine service sued after patient dies of overdose
A telehealth company is being sued for wrongful death after a patient prescribed ketamine for depression suffered a fatal overdose.
Mindbloom, a for-profit company that treats anxiety and depression with ketamine as either a fast-acting injectable or a slow-release tablet, connects patients with a psychiatric provider through its smartphone app as part of a program that includes an evaluation and regular journaling.
According to an October court filing, one of its patients was Phillip Ward, 27, of North Carolina, who had a history of substance abuse and addiction, in addition to hypertension. His family, the plaintiffs in the case, allege the company failed to properly screen Ward and check in with him when he missed “mandatory” follow-up screenings designed to gauge his progress.
Ward’s family said Mindbloom should have marked him as ineligible for such a program, given his history of substance use disorder. They accuse the company of failing to adequately ensure the safety of their patients despite a claim on its website that not a single one of the 60,000 people prescribed the hallucinogenic through the Mindbloom program have ever overdosed.
If that’s true, then Ward may mark a first: His death was caused by "ketamine toxicity in the presence of hypertension,” the lawsuit contends. He passed away on October 29, 2023—roughly six months after he allegedly had his initial video consultation with a Mindbloom clinician.
The lawsuit adds that this unnamed professional “recognized the danger and noted that [Ward] will need a therapist before approval.” However, the plaintiffs allege, that stipulation was never adhered to, and California-based pharmacy Enovex Pharmacy mailed the drugs to Ward.
Enovex is named a co-defendant in the lawsuit, as a partner of Mindbloom. Allegedly, Ward’s access to the medication was not discontinued, despite his missing appointments and being charged a $150 fee—which is supposed to be paid before any more ketamine is sent.
Facts in the case remain disputed
In a statement sent to the Tampa Free Press, Mindbloom's Founder and CEO Dylan Beynon said he was “saddened to learn of Phillip's death,” adding that he lost his mother and sister “during their battles with mental health challenges.”
He denied the accusations of negligence made in the lawsuit.
"The facts will bear out that Mindbloom provides the highest quality of clinical care backed by the largest peer-reviewed clinical studies in ketamine therapy history and proven out across hundreds of thousands of treatments, and the care provided to Phillip by Mindbloom was no different," Beynon added.
It’s not clear if and when the lawsuit will move forward, as this is a developing story.
HealthExec reached out to Mindbloom for any additional comment.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.