Service · Detox and residential treatment centers
Detox and residential treatment center consulting in Texas, priced by the piece.
We prepare the HHSC license application and operational plan for a detox or residential program, write the policy manual against 26 TAC 564.902 and 564.903, file the facility contracts and carry the program through Joint Commission or CARF. Each piece has a flat, published price. We run a licensed Texas outpatient program (PHP, IOP and outpatient), not a detox or residential one, so we tell you plainly which parts we've done ourselves and which your medical director and attorney lead.
Not a law firm. HHSC, accreditors and insurance plans make their own decisions; we never promise a license, contract or date.
- Free 30-minute call: your level of care, building and payers
- $495 Roadmap session: your dated roadmap and startup budget
- $7,500 HHSC license application and operational plan
- $7,500 Program policy and procedure manual
- $950 per plan, facility contracts
- $16,500 Joint Commission or CARF readiness
Opening the outpatient step-down too? See the IOP / PHP Program Launch.
The short answer: a detox or residential treatment center consultant does the operational work of opening a 24-hour program: the license application, the policy manual written against the state's detox and residential rules, the staffing plan to the required ratios, the insurance contracts and accreditation. Ours is priced by the piece, from $7,500 for the Texas license application to $16,500 for accreditation, because the building and the medical model differ too much between programs for one flat package to fit. You still need a health-care attorney, a CPA and a physician medical director, and you sign everything yourself.
Who it's for
| Where you are | What fits |
|---|---|
| Planning a detox or residential program and still choosing the level of care, the building and the bed count | A roadmap session ($495) first, then the license application and policy manual |
| A licensed Texas IOP or PHP adding residential or detox | The license change and the new policies; see adding a level of care for what HHSC needs first |
| Licensed and open, without insurance contracts | Facility credentialing ($950 per plan), with TMHP and the Medicaid plans if you'll take Medicaid |
| Open, and a plan or TRICARE wants accreditation | Accreditation readiness ($16,500), or a mock survey ($6,500) if you're close; see accreditation consulting |
| Opening the outpatient step-down at the same time | The IOP / PHP Program Launch ($39,500), which we run start to finish |
What we do, piece by piece
1. The roadmap and the budget
Ninety minutes on your level of care (social detox, medically monitored detox, intensive or supportive residential), your building and your payers, and a written, dated roadmap with every government fee. The budget puts the 24-hour staffing in first, because it's the line that decides whether the bed count works: one post covered around the clock is about 4.2 full-time staff. See what it costs to open a rehab center.
- Readiness review of your license, entity and location
- Your step-by-step roadmap with dates and fees
- Startup budget worksheet
- Credited in full toward any launch package within 30 days
2. The HHSC license application and operational plan
A detox or residential program in Texas holds the same chemical dependency treatment facility license as an IOP, with the services named for each site. We prepare Form 3207, work through HHSC's Form 3208 checklist, write the operational plan and match each rule to the document that proves it, then walk the program before the inspection. We file only when the site, policies and staff files are close to ready, because the 6-month compliance window starts on filing. Before you sign a lease, we'll tell you to call HHSC's Substance Use Disorder Compliance Unit about the residential building rules.
- Application and operational plan (Texas: HHSC forms and 26 TAC 564)
- Required policies checked against the rules
- Inspection-readiness walkthrough
3. The policy manual, written for a 24-hour program
The full program manual, organized by accreditation chapter, with the detox and residential rules built in, not bolted on:
- Detox (564.902): admission on DSM criteria for intoxication or withdrawal, the history and physical and signed orders within 24 hours, nursing coverage, the on-call physician or designee, services available at least 16 hours a day, monitoring at least every 4 hours in residential detox, and emergency transfer.
- Residential (564.903): the weekly schedule that meets the hours rule, the direct-care ratios and counselor caseloads, the health assessment within 96 hours, monthly treatment plan reviews, the added resident rights in 564.701(b) and (c), and fire drills on each shift at least quarterly.
- Medications (subchapter J): locked storage, administration only by staff legally authorized to give it, and daily counts of Schedule II to IV medications.
Your medical director writes and signs the medical protocols (withdrawal scales, medication orders, transfer criteria); we build the policies around them. What goes in a manual is in the policy and procedure manual.
4. Facility contracts
TMHP enrollment as a CDTF, each Medicaid managed care plan in your area, and the commercial plans your clients carry, filed and followed up every two weeks. TRICARE pays for residential SUD care through accredited substance use disorder rehabilitation facilities certified by the regional contractor, so that application waits for accreditation. How we handle it is on credentialing for groups and programs.
- Organization application
- Site visit preparation if the plan does one
- Contract and rate review checklist
- Effective date and billing set-up confirmed
5. Accreditation
A gap assessment against the Joint Commission or CARF standards, policy and chart fixes, tracer practice with your staff and a full mock survey, once you're serving clients and have charts. See Joint Commission vs. CARF for which fits.
How an engagement runs
- A free 30-minute call. Your level of care, the building you have in mind, your payers and your timeline. You get a straight answer, even if it's that you don't need us yet.
- A written quote for the pieces you need, each at its published price, and nothing you don't.
- Your client portal: the roadmap with dates, your to-dos, documents both ways, insurance applications and invoices in one place. You can tour the client portal with a made-up program before you call.
- The work, in the order the rules force: the building answer and the medical director first, then the manual and the application, then the inspection, then contracts and accreditation.
Who does what
| Step | We do | You do |
|---|---|---|
| Level of care and bed count | Lay out the rules, staffing and Medicaid 16-bed question for each option | Decide, with your attorney and CPA |
| Building | The checklist for zoning, occupancy and the residential building rules | Get the city's answer in writing, lease or buy, build out |
| Medical model | Policies built around it, matched to 564.902 and subchapter J | Sign the medical director, who writes and signs the medical protocols |
| License and contracts | Prepare, submit and follow up | Give accurate information, review and sign, and pay agency fees directly |
| Staff | The staffing plan to the ratios, job descriptions and credential files | Hire, and run every shift |
Where our experience is first-hand
We run a licensed Texas outpatient program and built the EHR it runs on, so the HHSC application, the policy manual, the credential files, facility credentialing, utilization review and survey preparation are work we've done for our own program. We don't run a detox or residential program. For those, every requirement we hand you comes from the rule text, with the section cited, and anything the rule leaves open goes to HHSC in writing. That's how our detox guide and residential guide are written, and it's how we'd work on yours.
What we don't do
- Promise outcomes. HHSC decides the license, accreditors decide accreditation, and each plan decides its contract, rate and effective date.
- Write medical orders or make clinical decisions. Admissions, levels of care, medications and transfers stay with your medical director and clinical staff.
- Send you patients, or take a share of anything. No fee tied to admissions, census or revenue. Residential programs are a focus of patient brokering enforcement; see patient brokering laws for why that line is bright.
- Give legal, tax or accounting advice, find the building or recruit the staff.
Prices
Each piece is flat and published, and you buy only what you need:
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Launch roadmap session 90 minutes with a consultant and your own written, dated roadmap from today to opening day. Includes: Readiness review of your license, entity and location; Your step-by-step roadmap with dates and fees; Startup budget worksheet; Credited in full toward any launch package within 30 days. | $495 |
| State facility license application Your program's state license application prepared and filed, and the inspection prepared for. Includes: Application and operational plan (Texas: HHSC forms and 26 TAC 564); Required policies checked against the rules; Inspection-readiness walkthrough. | $7,500 |
| Program policy and procedure manual A full policy manual written for your program, organized by accreditation chapter, in Word. Includes: Every chapter: rights, care, records, medications, infection control, safety, emergency management, HR, leadership, performance improvement; Environment-of-care and emergency plans; State-rule crosswalk; Editable Word files. | $7,500 |
| Facility or group contract: one plan A program or group contract with one insurance plan: the organization application, site visit and contract. Includes: Organization application; Site visit preparation if the plan does one; Contract and rate review checklist; Effective date and billing set-up confirmed. | $950 per plan |
| Accreditation readiness Get ready for a Joint Commission or CARF survey: a gap assessment, a fix plan and the evidence surveyors ask for. Includes: Gap assessment against the standards; Policy and chart fixes; Staff training and tracer practice; Application and survey scheduling; A full mock survey. | $16,500 |
| Mock survey A one-day survey the way an accreditor or state surveyor would do it, with a written report and fix list. Includes: Leadership, environment and record tracers; Chart audit sample; Written findings and corrective-action plan. | $6,500 |
| Staff training session A live 60–90 minute training for your team, with sign-in sheet and materials. Includes: HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2, documentation that holds up, or your topic; Slides and handout; Attendance record for your training files. | $950 per session |
| Consulting by the hour A consultant's time for anything not in a package. Includes: Billed in 15-minute steps; Notes after every call. | $275 per hour |
| Program compliance partner Monthly compliance for an open program: chart audits, policy updates, survey readiness. Includes: 10 charts audited every month; Policy updates when the rules change; Quarterly mock tracer; Credentialing upkeep for up to 8 clinicians; Survey and inspection support. | $5,500 per month |
Government and accreditation fees are paid by you, directly. In Texas the CDTF license is $1,200 for two years plus $35 per residential bed and $125 per additional site (26 TAC 564.408), so a 16-bed program at one site pays $1,760. How our prices compare with anyone else's is in what behavioral health consulting costs.
Start with the roadmap
The roadmap session ($495) gives you a written, dated plan and startup budget for your level of care and bed count, so you know the staffing and the building before you sign a lease. Or start with the free call.
Questions
What does a detox or residential treatment center consultant do?
The operational work of opening a 24-hour program: the license application and operational plan, the policy manual written against the state's detox and residential rules, the staffing plan, insurance contracts and accreditation. A good one also tells you what stays with your attorney, CPA and medical director.
How much does a detox or residential consultant cost?
Ours is priced by the piece: $495 for a roadmap session, $7,500 for the Texas license application, $7,500 for the policy manual, $950 per plan for each facility contract and $16,500 for accreditation readiness. Government and accreditation fees are separate and paid directly.
Why isn't there a flat package for detox or residential?
Our flat launch packages are built for outpatient programs, where the work is much the same from one program to the next. A detox or residential program's building, medical model and bed count change the work too much, so we scope it on a free call and quote the pieces that fit.
Can you help us add detox or residential to our IOP?
Yes. In Texas it's the same CDTF license with services added. Under 26 TAC 564.405, a licensed facility applies and gets HHSC's written approval before adding residential or detoxification services or beds. We prepare the change and the new policies. See adding a level of care.
Do we need accreditation for a residential program?
Not for the Texas license. TRICARE requires residential SUD facilities to be accredited by the Joint Commission, CARF, COA or another approved body, and many commercial plans want it before they contract, so most programs plan for it from the start.
Do you work outside Texas?
Texas is home. We can help elsewhere, with every state-specific step checked against that state's current rules and confirmed with its agency; start with how to open a rehab center.
Will you send us patients once we open?
No, never. We don't refer patients to clients or take anything of value for referrals. We'll help you build referral relationships the legal way.
Sources
- 26 TAC 564.902 (detox), 564.903 (residential) and 564.408 (fees)
- HHSC, Chemical Dependency Treatment Facilities
- TRICARE Policy Manual, chapter 11, section 8.1: substance use disorder rehabilitation facilities
- 18 U.S.C. 220 (EKRA); Texas Occupations Code chapter 102
Updated October 27, 2026. Cima Consulting is not a law firm or an accounting firm and doesn't give legal, tax or medical advice.
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