Financing strategies for drug abuse treatment programs

Contemporary drug abuse treatment programs exist in an extremely complex financing environment. Programs face a myriad of funding sources with different eligibility requirements and payment mechanisms that make it difficult for programs to develop a single financing strategy. To complicate the financing process, current funding sources are in a state of flux as managed care gains significance in health care reimbursement. This article will assist drug abuse treatment programs in several ways. First, it summarizes information about funding, eligibility requirements and payment mechanisms. Second, the information is geared toward drug treatment programs and less toward policymakers. Third, the article describes strategies for obtaining funding, including strategies for interacting with managed care. By using these methods for obtaining revenues, it is hoped that drug treatment programs will be able to increase their financing effectiveness.