Measurement Systems and Methods
The process of constructing a balanced scorecard for either financial goal setting or tracking of patient and employee satisfaction can be controversial.
For example, a hospital's financial scorecard provides a snapshot of gathered data for the hospital, but the data may be out of context, which makes it difficult to identify specific problems.
It is evident that both scorecards and dashboards have a place in the health care setting; however, will all organizations and accrediting bodies agree on the aspects of implementation, data analysis, and levels of effectiveness?
To prepare:
Consider the various uses of scorecards and dashboards presented in this week's Learning Resources and media presentation.
Reflect on how these measurement systems and measurement methods impact organizational goal setting in the areas of overall performance and financial stability.
Explore the key indicators involved with scorecards and dashboards as well as the external quality standards to which they are compared.
Ask yourself: What do the metrics used in the balanced scorecard and dashboard mean to my organization and nursing practice? Has my organization established goals for these metrics and are they currently being met?
Write a minimum of 550 words essay in APA format with 2 references from the list of required readings below. Include the level one as numbered below:
post a cohesive scholarly response that addresses the following:
1) Select any setting (Hospital) and describe the extent to which the patient's experience of care is measured, tracked, and set for improvement goals.
2) Evaluate whether goals at your organization are established for these metrics and whether or not they are currently being met.
3) Describe some of the provocative issues that have or will emerge. For example, what has been the impact of CAHPS or HCAHPS in the setting described (if applicable).
Required Readings
Joshi, M.S., Ransom, E.R., Nash, D.B., & Ransom, S.B., (Eds.). (2014). The Healthcare Quality Book, 3rd ed. Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.
Chapter 9: "Measuring and Improving Patient Experiences of Care"
Frith, K. H., Anderson, F., & Sewell, J. P. (2010). Assessing and selecting data for a nursing services dashboard. Journal of Nursing Administration, 40(1), 10-16. doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e3181c47d45
This article highlights the benefits of nurses using dashboards to help with staffing issues. It considers the sharing of data that dashboard can facilitate from the perspectives of nurses, units, hospitals, and patients.
Grossmeier, J., Terry, P. E., Cipriotti, A., & Burtaine, J. E. (2010). Best practices in evaluating worksite health promotion programs. American Journal of Health Promotion, 24(3), TAHP 1-9.
In this article, the authors discuss how to measure success when analyzing worksite health promotion (WHP). They then cover how to organize these measurements, assess WHP programs, and determine factors related to best-practice evaluation frameworks.
Stanley, R., Lillis, K. A., Zuspan, S. J., Lichenstein, R., Ruddy, R. M., Gerardi, M. J., & Dean, J. M. (2010). Development and implementation of a performance measure tool in an academic pediatric research network. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 31(5), 429-437.
The details of this article focus on a multi-center research network that initiated an evaluation method using balanced scorecards. The first three years of the measurement tool's implementation are covered, and the achievements and challenges are discussed.
Required Media
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement: Benchmarking outcomes. Baltimore: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.
In this program, Barbara Epke and Carrie Brady discuss methods that health care organizations use to gather data for measuring outcomes, and explain how data are used to measure key indicators of quality and safety.