ABSTRACT
In 1999, hospitals in Ontario, Canada, collaborated with a university-based research team to develop a report on the relative performance of individual hospitals in Canada's most populated province. The researchers used the balanced-scorecard framework advocated by Kaplan and Norton. Indicators of performance were developed in four areas: clinical utilization and outcomes, patient satisfaction, system integration and change, and financial performance and condition. The process of selecting, calculating, and validating meaningful indicators of financial performance and condition is outlined. Lessons learned along the way are provided. These lessons may prove valuable to other finance researchers and practitioners who are engaged in performance measurement endeavors.
Subject(s)
Benchmarking , Financial Audit , Financial Management, Hospital/standards , Hospitals, Community/economics , Quality Indicators, Health Care , Efficiency, Organizational , Hospitals, Community/standards , Information Dissemination , Ontario , Research Design , Social Responsibility , Societies, HospitalABSTRACT
Developing mechanisms for making benchmark comparisons among hospital organization is a challenge that has been embraced by nurse executives. A methodologic approach for ensuring data congruency when using available secondary data bases for making benchmark comparisons was detailed in part one (July/August) of this two-part series. This second article analyzes nursing management data using a set of nursing and financial resource variables identified by senior nurse executives of the hospital sites involved in this study.
Subject(s)
Databases as Topic , Nurse Administrators/organization & administration , Nursing Staff, Hospital/economics , Personnel Staffing and Scheduling/economics , Benchmarking , Delivery of Health Care/organization & administration , Humans , Inpatients/classification , Nursing Assistants/economics , Nursing Assistants/supply & distribution , Nursing Staff, Hospital/supply & distribution , OntarioABSTRACT
Challenges associated with the use of secondary data sources for benchmarking in nursing administration research are identified. A methodological approach for ensuring data consistency is presented in part one of this two-part series. Part two (September 2000) will provide an analysis of the nursing management data, based on a set of nursing and financial resource benchmarking variables identified by the senior nurse executives of these sites. Initial findings show evidence of data consistency across similar hospitals.