User:OPPAGA

The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) is the research arm of the Florida Legislature. OPPAGA examines state agencies and programs to make government better, faster, and cheaper. The program oversight it provides focuses on performance, cost-benefit analysis, and doing the right thing. State law, legislative leadership, or the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee determines what issues OPPAGA researches. Since 1998, the state has saved $857 million by adopting policy options and recommendations from OPPAGA reports. OPPAGA operates under the guidance of a director appointed by the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee and confirmed by the House and Senate.

History
Prior to 1994, OPPAGA existed as a part of the Florida Auditor General. In 1994 the Florida Legislature removed the government performance auditing function from the Auditor General and created OPPAGA to help improve the performance and accountability of state government. Since this time the office has received several awards.
 * Center for Accountability and Performance (CAP) Organizational Leadership Award (2001). This honor recognizes an organization's outstanding application of a systems approach to performance measurement that has resulted in a culture change, sustained improvements, and demonstrated positive effects on government performance and accountability.
 * National Legislative Program Evaluation Society Excellence in Evaluation Award (2007). The criteria for the award are making a positive impact, producing a notable body of work, and furthering the field of legislative evaluation. OPPAGA also received this prestigious award in 1997 and 1989.
 * National Legislative Program Evaluation Society Methodology Award (2007). This award recognizes projects that exemplify excellent uses of evaluation methodologies. OPPAGA also won the Methodology Award in 2000.

While Governing magazine called OPPAGA "one of the most impressive legislative oversight offices in the country," its findings do not always please those going under its review. For example, a 2004 OPPAGA report found that a Medicaid "disease management" program the state launched in 1997 had failed to achieve its goals. Under this program drug manufacturers received an exemption from state-mandated prescription drug discounts in exchange for providing disease management services to state Medicaid recipients with chronic conditions. OPPAGA found that the program saved the state $13.4 million, far less than the projected $108.4 million. The Agency for Health Care Administration, which oversaw the program, and Pfizer argued with the review's methodology. However, lawmakers ultimately followed OPPAGA's recommendations to separate the disease management program from the state-mandated drug discount exemptions. Now drug manufacturers can no longer provide disease management services in order to receive an exemption from state-mandated prescription drug discounts.

Products
OPPAGA provides a variety of research services. OPPAGA researches all aspects of state government. It divides its work into five policy areas, each headed by a staff director. The following list provides some examples of recent work from each policy area.
 * Reports - review state agencies and programs. These can cover anything in state government, or analyze the impact of a potential program or policy. Reports are typically 8-12 pages long and available in print and online.
 * Progress reports - follow-up on previously issued reports. These show whether recommendations in previous reports have been implemented.  Progress reports are conducted at least 18 months after the original report and are generally four pages long.
 * Podcasts - provide three to five minute report overviews. Podcasts show the big picture about what a report covered with only the most critical details. OPPAGA's homepage features podcasts on recent reports.
 * Florida Government Accountability Report (FGAR) - is an online encyclopedia of every major program in state government. It gives a basic program description, highlights recent issues related to the program, shows the latest budget information, and lists contact information and recent reports on the program.
 * The Florida Monitor Weekly - is sent to subcribers typically on Fridays. It is an electronic newsletter providing links to articles and reports of interest to government stakeholders.
 * Criminal Justice:
 * Economic Development, Environment, and Transportation: Issued Report 08-62 in November 2008 that evaluated a pilot program created to expedite the state’s review of local government comprehensive plan amendments. The report concluded that the pilot program reduced the time needed to approve comprehensive plan amendments and presented options for expanding it to include additional highly urbanized cities and counties.
 * Education: Issued Report 09-12 in February 2009 that reviewed the incentive funds the State of Florida provides local school districts for Advanced Placement classes. It identified policy options that would save the state between $25 to $30 million while providing sufficient funding to districts to pay required program costs.
 * Government Operations:
 * Health & Human Services: Issued Report 08-4 in November 2008 that examined whether the Medicaid Reform pilot program achieved its intent of providing beneficiaries better access to providers than the traditional Medicaid program. The report revealed that the Agency for Health Care Administration, which administers the entire Medicaid program, uses the same contract requirements for Medicaid Reform and traditional Medicaid and should develop additional requirements to ensure that the Medicaid Reform program meets beneficiary needs.

Similiar Agencies
Other states have offices similar to OPPAGA, but the organizational placement of these offices differs among the states. Nearly half of the offices performing government program evaluation operate as part of the legislative auditor's office. In another one-third of the states, including Florida, evaluation offices function as independent legislative units. The evaluation offices are within a legislative oversight or another committee (such as the legal drafting and research office) in the remaining states. Here is a list of similar organizations:
 * Kentucky Legislative Research Commission
 * New Jersey State Auditor
 * North Dakota Legislative Council
 * Oklahoma Office of State Auditor and Inspector, State Agency Division
 * Oregon Legislative Services
 * Texas Sunset Advisory Commission