Before DSHS and Gov. Chris Gregoire pop the champagne on word that the state auditor has revised the amount of “questioned” costs in the state’s most recent Medicaid audit from $950 million to $80 million, some audit definitions are in order. Each year the state auditor issues two Medicaid audits. One is state focused (the one reporting $950 million in “questioned” costs) and the other is federal focused (the one reporting $80 million in “questioned” costs). So did the state’s Medicaid audit really improve by $870 million? No. The federal government has a different definition of “questioned” costs than what...