Benchmarking in Health Care

Book excerpt: Benchmarking--comparing one's performance against internal or external sources--can be the cornerstone of many performance improvement initiatives in health care organizations. These projects are carried out for a variety of reasons: to enhance patient outcomes, streamline patient care delivery systems, reduce costs, and comply with local, state, or national initiatives, including accreditation and health care reform requirements. For organizations to successfully accomplish these objectives, they must be able to benchmark their performance within their facilities, over time, and against other organizations. Benchmarking in Health Care is an updated edition of a JCR best seller that provides organizations with step-by-step instructions to successfully design and implement benchmarking projects in their facilities as part of comprehensive performance improvement programs. Topics covered include the following: * Defining internal and external benchmarking * Complying with Joint Commission and Joint Commission * International benchmarking-related standards * Planning and organizing a benchmarking project, including gaining leadership support and assembling and organizing a team * Choosing appropriate benchmarking partners * Identifying and using appropriate global benchmarking databases * Collecting, analyzing, benchmarking, and presenting data * Using benchmarking data to drive improvement * Case studies from organizations around the world that are using benchmarking projects as integral components of performance improvement initiatives Help your staff to design and implement a successful benchmarking project in your organization!