Some information on a website maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for locating treatment, an audit from HHS’ Office of Inspector General found.
The audit, published March 21, sampled data for 100 facilities on FindTreatment.gov, a directory of mental health and substance use providers maintained by SAMHSA. Of these 100 listings, 66 had inaccurate information.
The facilities sampled were often missing information on treatment approaches and payment and insurance accepted. Some were missing addresses, phone numbers or websites.
Most facilities still listed critical information, including addresses and age groups accepted, the audit found.
Previous reports have found mental health provider directories are often inaccurate. In 2024, a report from the Government Accountability Office found listings for most mental health providers listed in Tricare’s directories contained incorrect information. Tricare provides healthcare benefits to military service members.
A 2023 report from New York Attorney General Letitia James found 80% of mental health providers listed in insurers’ directories in the state were incorrect.
The OIG recommended SAMHSA work with its contractor to strengthen its procedures for verifying that behavioral health facilities have provided accurate information to the administration. It also urged steps to prevent providers from submitting incomplete details. The watchdog also recommended SAMHSA make a statement about reporting issues with facility listings more prominent on its website.