California’s New Program Boosts Access to Addiction Treatment, Counties Report Progress
A new report by the California Health Care Foundation has found that the implementation of the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) has been largely successful in improving access to substance use treatment for low-income individuals. In 2015, California became the first state in the nation to adopt a program targeted to Medicaid beneficiaries with substance use disorders. The reform expands the number of SUD services covered by Medi-Cal, improves coordination and management of services, and monitors the quality of care in counties that opt into the program.
“It’s been an enormous change,” said William Harris, assistant regional manager of Riverside County’s substance abuse treatment program, which was featured in the report. “We’re operating under an entirely new paradigm and are able to expand services and be more inclusive and better meet the needs of the population of our county.”
