Launch package · SUD or mental health IOP / PHP
From plan to first admission, built by people who run a licensed program.
We run a licensed Texas outpatient program, PHP through outpatient. This package takes yours from a feasibility check to the state license, the policy manual, the clinical program, the staff files, eight facility contracts and the authorization workflow, on a dated roadmap you can see every day.
Flat fee in four parts, tied to the license and your first admission.
- $7,350 at signing
- $7,350 when the license application is filed
- $7,350 when the license is issued
- $2,450 at first admission
6 months of Cima EHR included
Book a free callGovernment, licensing and accreditation fees are paid by you, directly to the agency.
Who it's for
- Owners opening a substance use disorder program (PHP, IOP and outpatient) that needs a Texas HHSC chemical dependency treatment facility license.
- Owners opening a mental health IOP or PHP, where the first question is whether a facility license applies at all.
- Clinicians or groups adding a program level of care to an existing practice.
If your target plans require accreditation, and many do for IOP and PHP, look at Program Launch + Accreditation, which carries the launch through a Joint Commission or CARF survey.
Everything included
- Feasibility review and 3-year financial projection
- Site requirements checklist: zoning, certificate of occupancy, fire inspection
- State facility license application prepared (Texas: HHSC chemical dependency treatment facility license)
- Full policy and procedure manual, written for your program, organized by accreditation chapter
- Intake packet, consents and 42 CFR Part 2 releases
- Clinical program design: levels of care, schedule, curriculum, ASAM-based admission and continued-stay criteria
- Staffing plan, job descriptions and credential files
- Facility credentialing with 8 insurance plans
- Utilization review and authorization workflow
- Cima EHR Program plan set up
- 6 months of support after opening
The policy manual is written for your program, not copied from someone else's, and organized by accreditation chapter so it's ready if you seek accreditation later. Each rule in 26 TAC 564 is matched to the policy, form or record that meets it.
The Texas license
- SUD programs must be licensed by HHSC as a chemical dependency treatment facility before treating anyone (Texas Health and Safety Code chapter 464; 26 TAC chapter 564). The application includes HHSC's forms, an operational plan, proof of liability insurance and the fee. HHSC aims to issue the license within 45 days of a complete application.
- Time the filing. After you file, you must show HHSC that the program meets the rules within 6 months, or the application is denied. We file when the site, policies and staff files are close to ready.
- Mental-health-only programs fall under different rules. A freestanding mental health IOP run by licensed clinicians may not need a facility license; we confirm with HHSC and your attorney before you open, especially for PHP.
Our free guide, How to start an IOP or PHP in Texas, walks through every step.
Price and how it's paid
| When | Share | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| At signing | 30% | $7,350 |
| When the license application is filed | 30% | $7,350 |
| When the license is issued | 30% | $7,350 |
| At first admission | 10% | $2,450 |
| Total | 100% | $24,500 |
If you need more
- More insurance plans: 8 facility contracts are included; each extra plan is $450.
- Keeping credentials current after opening: $49 per clinician a month (CAQH re-attestation, renewals, recredentialing and revalidation).
- Started with a launch roadmap session? Its $395 is credited in full toward this package if you sign within 30 days.
Typical timeline
On the earliest path through our Texas SUD program roadmap, the first admission comes in about 6 months. The license and the insurance contracts are the long poles, and they run in order: most plans contract with a program only after the license is issued. Plan on several more months of self-pay clients and single case agreements before contracts are effective, and on nine to twelve months to a full caseload of insured clients.
| Step | Typical timing |
|---|---|
| Kickoff and your dated roadmap | Week 1 |
| Business formed with the Texas Secretary of State (you or your attorney file) | Week 4 |
| Policy and procedure manual written | Weeks 5–10 |
| Cima EHR Program plan set up | Weeks 13–15 |
| Site leased, after the city confirms zoning | Weeks 13–16 |
| Individual NPI for each clinician | Weeks 15–16 |
| Team hired and verified | Months 4–5 |
| HHSC facility license application filed | Months 4–6 |
| Soft opening, mock admission and fire drill | Months 6–7 |
| HHSC compliance inspection | Months 6–7 |
| Facility contracts with the insurance plans | Months 6–9 |
| First admission | Month 7 |
| Mock accreditation survey | Month 7 |
| Accreditation survey | Months 7–8 |
| Accreditation decision | Months 8–10 |
| Each plan's effective date confirmed | Month 10 |
| Billing each plan from its effective date | Month 10 |
From the kickoff, on the earliest path through our 118-step Texas roadmap. Agencies and insurance plans set their own pace, so treat these as typical, not promised.
What you pay separately
| Step | Fee and who charges it |
|---|---|
| File the certificate of formation with the Texas Secretary of State | $300 filing fee (Texas Secretary of State) |
| File an assumed name certificate if you'll use another name | $25 filing fee (Texas Secretary of State) (changes; we check the current fee) |
| Get an EIN from the IRS | Free |
| Get a CLIA certificate of waiver for in-office tests | Small fee every two years; check CMS's current fee (changes; we check the current fee) |
| Apply for the Texas HHSC chemical dependency treatment facility license | $1,200 base fee + $125 per additional site (HHSC, 26 TAC 564) (changes; we check the current fee) |
| Apply for accreditation | Joint Commission: $1,700 application deposit; on-site survey from about $3,330; annual fee from about $1,930 (Joint Commission fact sheet). CARF: check CARF's current fees (changes; we check the current fee) |
| Keep accreditation current between surveys | Joint Commission annual fee from about $1,930 (Joint Commission fact sheet) (changes; we check the current fee) |
- The building: rent, build-out, the certificate of occupancy and the fire inspection.
- Working capital: several months of payroll and rent before insurance payments arrive. Your 3-year projection shows how much.
- Insurance (professional, general liability, abuse and molestation, cyber), a medical director's fee at fair market value, background checks and LegitScript certification if you'll advertise.
- The accreditation fees above apply only if you pursue accreditation.
What's not included
- Accreditation. It's in Program Launch + Accreditation, or accreditation readiness is $9,500 on its own.
- Finding the building or the people. We give you the site checklist and the staffing plan; you lease and hire.
- Ongoing compliance after opening support ends. That's the program compliance partner, $3,500 per month.
- Legal, tax or clinical advice, and any guarantee of a license, contract, rate or date.
Questions
Can we bill Medicare for IOP or PHP?
Usually not as a freestanding program. Medicare pays for PHP, and since 2024 IOP, only through hospitals, community mental health centers and a few other provider types. We check your path early so the payer mix doesn't count on it.
Do we need accreditation?
Not usually for the Texas license. But TRICARE requires IOP and PHP programs to be accredited (Joint Commission, CARF or COA), and many commercial plans contract only with accredited programs. We'll tell you which of your target plans require it.
Why is the last payment at first admission?
Because that's the point of the work. You pay 30% at signing, 30% when the license application is filed, 30% when the license is issued and the last 10% when you admit your first client.
How do we get paid before contracts are effective?
Self-pay clients, or a single case agreement with a plan for one client, at a rate agreed in writing before admission, with the authorization in writing too.
Will you send us patients?
No. We never refer patients or take anything of value for referrals. For treatment programs, paying for referrals can break the Texas Patient Solicitation Act and federal law (EKRA and the Anti-Kickback Statute).
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