Efficiency and effectiveness.

Under normal circumstances these two metrics are how any government program should be evaluated. When the government in question is facing a pair of crises that is killing tens of thousands of residents each year and also endangering its financial health, it becomes even more important to hold government programs to account.

That’s exactly what state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has been doing, according to a recently-released report evaluating how certain state agencies are “monitoring and measuring the effectiveness of opioid-related drug treatment initiatives.”

The audits span four years (2013-2017) and cover three state agencies: The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), the Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Department of Corrections (DOC). And they found fault with the way each agency is handling their roles in responding to the opioid epidemic.

At DDAP — already subject of much debate over whether it has become unduly influenced by lobbyists and incapable of doing its job — the report faults the agency for focusing too much on compliance and regulatory standards, and not enough on fostering collaboration and measuring how effective various treatment efforts actually are.

In other words: the agency is failing to do that for which it was created: leading the effort to combat the opioid epidemic.

At DOH, which is responsible for overseeing the state’s 45 Opioid Use Disorder Centers of Excellence (one of which is Butler Health System), the report noted that officials still haven’t developed procedures that ensure they can properly evaluate how effectively the centers are functioning.

At DOC, where 64 percent of inmates are identified as having substance abuse disorders, only one of the department’s seven in-house treatment programs is routinely monitored for effectiveness. And that monitoring focuses on recidivism, not reducing substance abuse

It’s encouraging to see that officials at each organization have responded to DePasquale’s critiques by saying they agree with the report’s conclusions and plan to act on recommendations for how to improve their operations.

But the fact is that it shouldn’t take a 96-page audit by Pennsylvania’s top watchdog to prompt officials at these agencies to take these steps — which amount to routine best practices.

Of course our public health agencies should be mounting a collaborative response to this crisis; of course program evaluations should be rigorous and complete; of course treatment for substance abuse should actually help people deal with substance abuse, not just keep them out of jail.

As the opioid epidemic continues to grow — drug overdose deaths in the state rose by 37 percent last year, to 4,642 — it’s more vital than ever that public money is used in ways that have the most impact and the best chance to produce positive outcomes.

The cost of wasting tax dollars on ineffective and poorly-administered programs (and departments) is simply too high.