Benchmarking. It's the future

You can't go to a state conference, read a home care publication or log on to an Internet listserv ... without hearing or reading someone ... talk about benchmarking. What are your average case mix weights? How many visits are your nurses averaging per day? What is your average caseload for full time nurses in the field? What is your profit or loss per episode? The benchmark systems now available in home care potentially can serve as an early warning and partial protection for agencies. Agencies can collect data, analyze the outcomes, and through comparative benchmarking, determine where they are competitive and where they need to improve. These systems clearly provide agencies with the opportunity to be more proactive.