Using Quality Improvement Tools

Benchmarking

What: A comparison of outcome indicators to identify disparities in care and/or identify process critical success factors, develop a self-assessment, and provide evidence for  supporting decisions

Why: To identify prevailing best performance and obtain a measure for improvement, identify areas of strength and weakness, and contextualize current performance

When: Helpful to identify and prioritize areas of potential improvement

How: There are a number of models. This one by Pitarelli and Monier is highlighted in Benchmarking: A Method for Continuous Quality Improvement in Health:

  1. Select the object of the benchmarking (the service or activity to be improved).
  2. Identify benchmarking partners (reference points).
  3. Collect and organize data internally.
  4. Identify the competitive gap by comparing against external data.
  5. Set future performance targets (objectives).
  6. Communicate the benchmarking results.
  7. Develop action plans.
  8. Take concrete action (project management).
  9. Monitor progress

Types of Benchmarking:

  • Generic: Broad focus on fact-finding, examination of general processes, and/or developing data sets and metrics to support change efforts
  • Internal: Typically interdepartmental efforts primarily focused on developing standards of care
  • Functional: Used to compare an organization with others in an unrelated industry that has similar metric and/or process that could provide insights into how improvement might be achieved
  • Competitive: Comparing metrics to peer institutions in the same or different service areas

Understanding the purpose and use of benchmarking provides a more detailed model

Measuring and Benchmarking Clinical Performance - AHRQ

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS)