Implementing program evaluation and accountability for population health: progress of a national diabetes control effort.

Diabetes affects some 16 million Americans at a cost estimated at $100 billion. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds a diabetes control program (DCP) in every state as part of the National Diabetes Control Program (NDCP). In 1999, a new policy added emphasis on evaluation and made NDCP and its DCPs accountable for achieving impacts related to the health of populations with diabetes. The article reports on the experiences of the NDCP in implementing a performance-based program evaluation paradigm. It also discusses potential future directions for national diabetes-control efforts.