Managing a modern healthcare facility is complicated. It requires the simultaneous monitoring and investigation of factors, indicators, and consequences – both in its internal and external environment.
Good management of a healthcare facility requires the use of methods and techniques based on evidence, facts, and real data. It requires a scientific approach to managerial decision-making because its lack can be very expensive – for everyone including management teams, patients, taxpayers, and politicians.
Effective management of a hospital can only be achieved through a diagnostic analysis that provides orientation and answers to important questions related to measuring every aspect of the activity. The questions are often raised by the high degree of uncertainty inherent in the management of healthcare facilities and the healthcare sector.
Hospitals must deal with the problem of measuring and management of their performance and effectiveness. The most original and innovative approach would be to use a model for hospital performance measurement and management. There are plenty of instruments but not very specific model for a complex modern diagnostic for health care managers.
After a huge review of hospital performance reports and literature review, a specific model was developed. The model is supported by 12 diagnostic cards, an algorithm for implementation, diagnostic matrix, and a practical list of indicators, like:
- Management
- Clients
- Effectiveness
- Medical Perspective
- Financial perspective
- Personnel
- Capacity/Resources
- Internal Processes
- Education & innovation
- External microenvironment
- External macro environment
- Benefits for society
Hospital performance measurement can help managers be effective. And also, to manage in cases when the healthcare organization is at crossroads in its development and needs assistance in making management decisions regarding:
- Business optimization (business expansion, integration of two or more activities, offering new services);
- Human resources (when there is a need for staff with different abilities; to release some of the staff, who exactly and so on);
- Financial management (search for new investors, diversification of financial sources, the introduction of new approaches to attracting funds);
- Strategic decisions (organizational growth, merger, contraction, mission change)
Hospital performance measurement nutshell:
Performance measurements provide one of the best ways to spearhead overall health system and hospital improvements by providing solid data on the current state of efficiencies and effectiveness, including Evaluating and measuring that a facility or individual meets established benchmarks.
