Colorado Medicaid Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Benefit Performance Audit

December 14, 2010 The audit was conducted to determine if the Medicaid outpatient substance abuse treatment benefit implemented in July 2006 had increased costs to the state medical assistance program. The Colorado Office of the State Auditor reviewed data from the Colorado Department of Health Care Financing and Policy to identify the costs of providing the benefit, and the number of unduplicated clients served. The auditors found that for the 5,200 clients who received the substance abuse treatment benefit during fiscal years 2007 and 2008, the state Medicaid program saved $3.5 million. Medical costs for those clients declined . . .