Substance use disorder (SUD) has touched every corner of our world – and undoubtedly, many of us as well. Whether a loved one, friend, neighbor or some other connection, we all know someone whose life has been impacted by SUD. At FEI, our work contributes to prevention and treatment programs that provide hope.

We have been a proud partner of the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) Behavioral Health Services (BHS) department since 2007, supporting them in their efforts to curb the impact of SUD in their region. Our solution (called SanWITS by the county) is used to collect required data from contracted alcohol and drug prevention and treatment facilities that receive state or federal funds. In addition to state submissions and billing, the BHS department uses the data in our solution to monitor trends related to alcohol and drug use within the region to identify emerging issues around substance use, program monitoring, resource allocation, and evaluation to justify the need for continued state and federal funding for services.

We have supported San Diego through several major policy shifts enacted by the State of California, all seeking to improve access to care for those struggling with SUD. This includes the 2014 state expansion of Medi-Cal that opened eligibility for behavioral health services to roughly 1.1 million Californians that year alone. Then in 2015, the state launched the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS). DMC-ODS expands SUD treatment options for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, using new federal waivers established by the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS).

In the wake of these state initiatives, the county has needed to process exponentially more enrollment data and expand management of treatment programs for growing client lists. Our continued enhancements to SanWITS, including introducing data management functionality and Power BI reporting tools, have helped the county keep pace with growing needs. Today, SanWITS processes more than $30.2 million in Medicaid claims every year and that number continues to climb.

Our support also extends to providers on the frontlines. Throughout our contract with the county, we’ve implemented screening and assessment tools used by providers across the county that help standardize clinical practice. We also assist with the onboarding and orientation of new providers who have never contracted with BHS for SUD services and will be using SanWITS for the first time.

We will continue to work to expand our behavioral health footprint, so our work in San Diego County and with dozens of other agencies across the country can help curb the impacts of SUD in our communities.