Evaluating large and complex demonstrations: the CHAMPUS reform initiative experience. Civilian Health and Medical...

To examine the evaluation process for the CHAMPUS Reform Initiative (CRI) both to highlight issues that evaluators must consider when undertaking such projects and to provide policymakers with tools to better assess demonstration project evaluations.

The CRI evaluation.

Case study.

Review of CRI evaluation reports.

Although policymakers increasingly rely on the evaluations of demonstration projects to determine whether to extend the scope and funding of many public programs, the results of these evaluations are often difficult to assess. Despite its analytical sophistication, the CRI evaluation was no exception. The somewhat artificial time constraints imposed by policymakers made projection of the CRI's performance beyond the demonstration period particularly difficult.

Much uncertainty generally remains even after well-planned and well-executed evaluations of demonstration projects.