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Today's government managers and legislators operate in a highly dynamic environment.

Program inspections help them do this by offering a fast, unbiased, and highly reliable way of gathering evidence to improve program operations.

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Since 1985, the Office of Evaluation and Inspections has conducted comprehensive evaluations, providing policy makers and managers with evidence and recommendations for improving their programs' effectiveness.

 

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OEI: EXCELLENCE IN EVALUATION  

The Office of Evaluation and Inspections (OEI) is composed of analysts located within the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. Our mission is to help to ferret out fraud, waste, and mismanagement in departmental programs and to promote economy and efficiency in the administration of programs and operations.

 

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OEI'S STRENGTH: THE TALENT AND COMMITMENT OF ITS STAFF

 Our recruiting strategy emphasizes hiring talented, highly motivated entry-level staff, such as outstanding scholars, presidential management interns, and college co-op students.

 

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OEI's DEVELOPMENT:  CONTINUING TO LEARN AND GROW 

The best training is done on the job.  Our strength is team work, team support, and team building.  No one works in a vacuum in OEI. Athough staff is spread throughout the country, the team atmosphere is strong and supportive. We believe individual growth leads to organizational growth and success.

 

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OEI's IMPACT:  SHARING THE RESULTS

OEI staffers are active in the field of analysis and evaluation.  We have colleagues in academia, private think tanks, other government organizations, and consulting firms.  Staff are encouraged to publish and teach, as well as to participate in professional associations, such as the American Evaluation Association.  

 

 

 

 

 


 

group of 6 people around a clipboard

OEI:  EXCELLENCE IN EVALUATION

The Office of Evaluation and Inspections (OEI) is composed of analysts located within the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  Our mission is to produce a broad array of evaluations that are professionally rigorous and provide a convincing basis for improving programs, preventing fraud, and saving tax dollars.

Within the enormous reach of the Department, we examine cost, quality, and access to services.  We ask, "Is the Government getting its money's worth when purchasing or delivering services?"  "Are the services first-rate or shoddy?"  "Do beneficiaries of services--the elderly, low-income children, the disadvantaged, the disabled--have access to care, or are they turned away at the provider's door?"  "Are programs managed efficiently?"  "Where is waste to be trimmed and abuse to be remedied?"

In OEI, we gather evidence systematically, analyze it thoroughly using scientific and statistical analysis methods, develop careful and reasoned findings, conclusions, and recommendations and, finally, present the results concisely to decision makers who use it to improve program operations.

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4 business people climbing a mountain

OEI'S STRENGTH:  THE TALENT AND COMMITMENT OF ITS STAFF

Our recruiting strategy emphasizes hiring talented, highly motivated entry-level staff, such as outstanding scholars, presidential management interns, and college co-op students OEI staffers are both generalists and specialists, and our strength lies in the collective versatility of the staff.

We will provide the training required for new staff to become accomplished evaluators who are guided by our professional standards.   

New analysts staff generally earn between $30-40,000 a year, depending on experience, and can reach close to $60,000 in two years with good performance.

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OEI's DEVELOPMENT:  CONTINUING TO LEARN AND GROW 

The best training is done on the job.  We provide extensive training so that everyone is able to understand and meet our rigorous professional standards.  We believe individual growth leads to organizational growth and success.

Working

A typical assignment involves a team--a project director, a lead analyst, a headquarters liaison, and a few team members backed by statistical and data processing experts.  The team shepherds the study from beginning to end.  Staff members develop and improve skills and abilities by helping design the project, collect the data, analyze the evidence, write the report, and present it to the client who will use its results to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the department's programs.

When designing a study, the analysts define the issues and potential sources of evidence, decide how to best gather the data to establish condition, cause and effect, and prepare a study schedule (usually against a tight deadline).  And all this before any data are collected.

Traveling

To do the evaluation work most effectively, we often visit sites throughout the country to gather evidence on-site, directly from the data sources.  This often involves dealing with service providers, beneficiaries, interest groups, and subject matter experts. 

Training

OEI is committed to staff development through coaching, mentoring, formal training, and even in-house training (such as interviewing, analysis, writing, and questionnaire design).  Our goal is for each employee to receive some formal training each year, such as contracted training courses, through public or private sources.

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OEI's IMPACT: SHARING THE RESULTS

OEI staffers are active in the field of analysis and evaluation.  We have colleagues in academia, private think tanks, other government organizations, and consulting firms.  Staff are encouraged to publish and teach, as well as to participate in professional associations, such as the American Evaluation Association.  OEI staff have been published in such diverse media as the New England Journal of Medicine, Investigators Journal, and the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.

Our work is often referenced in editorials and trade journals like "Modern Healthcare."  We testify before the U.S. Congress and State legislatures on the findings of our own studies and their application to pending laws.  We brief the Secretary of HHS and the heads of agencies.  We give speeches and appear on panels at national conferences, and all staff have this opportunity, not just managers.

Our reach has been so broad that we have provided technical assistance to other governments and community organizations.  We have trained evaluation and program officials in India, Brazil, British Columbia and the State of California. Our studies have affected some of largest social programs in the country, and our staff can see the fruits of their labor creating change for the better.

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