Massachusetts Opioid Treatment Program Services Met Many of the Federal and State Requirements

Why OIG Did This Audit

• The United States currently faces a nationwide public health emergency because of the opioid crisis that has led to alarming trends across the country, including record numbers of people developing opioid use disorders (OUDs).
• Opioid treatment programs (OTPs) provide medication and counseling services for people diagnosed with an OUD. OTPs are integral to combating opioid-related diagnoses and deaths.
• This audit examined whether Massachusetts ensured that OTPs provided services in accordance with certain Federal and State requirements.

What OIG Found

Massachusetts could improve its oversight to OTPs to ensure that they complied with certain Federal and State requirements.

• Of the 100 OTP sampled services, only 74 complied with Federal and State requirements.
• Of the remaining 26 OTP sampled services, 23 OTP services did not meet the treatment plan review requirements and 3 were not supported by the medical records.

Massachusetts had procedures in place to oversee the OTPs, but these procedures were not always strong enough to prevent the errors identified in this report.

What OIG Recommends

We recommend that Massachusetts follow up with OTP providers about the three services that were not supported by the medical records and continue its procedures to prevent OTP noncompliance with Federal and State requirements.

Massachusetts concurred with our recommendations and described the actions that it has taken or plans to take in response to our recommendations.