Hartford (AP) — The state of Connecticut has hired a Texas firm to implement a program that will detect fraud, waste and abuse in the Department of Social Services Medical Assistance Program.

The initiative was included in the state budget passed earlier this year by the General Assembly.

DSS and the Office of Policy and Management announced Monday they've entered a three-year contract with 21CT, Inc.

OPM Secretary Benjamin Barnes said ever-changing fraudulent schemes and massive amounts of data make it difficult for state agencies to keep up with combating fraud on their own. With Medicaid caseloads expected to grow under the federal Affordable Care Act, he said the $8 million annual investment "will likely bring us tens of millions of dollars in savings and recoupments."

He called 21CT "technologically advanced" and "innovative."