Abstract
Effective programs set ambitious goals, achieve results, are managed well, and improve efficiency. Assessing performance, managing results, and assuring effective use of tax dollars is challenging and complex. This column describes how the federal government uses the Performance Assessment Rating Tool (PART) to ensure that its programs perform well and use public resources responsibly, and includes summaries of the performance assessments of three federally funded addiction treatment programs. An understanding of this process may help local addiction treatment programs implement similar strategies to improve their own performance, and thus contribute in a more meaningful way to improved outcomes for populations being treated for addictive disorders.