The development of a benchmarking system for a cancer patient population

Benchmarking, while a useful way to compare outcomes among health care institutions, has been less useful for institutions dealing with specialty patient populations such as cancer, rehabilitation, or psychiatry. Because of regulatory requirements mandating the use of benchmarking for accreditation and performance improvement purposes, a group of comprehensive cancer centers developed a specialized database for benchmarking outcomes for cancer patients. This article describes the development of the database and some of the obstacles encountered by the group. It also outlines solutions to the obstacles. Key words: benchmarking, cancer, quality