Measuring and monitoring IT using a balanced scorecard approach

Ensuring that the information technology department is aligned with the overall health system strategy and is performing at a consistently high level is a priority at Saint Luke's Health System in Kansas City, Mo. The information technology department of Saint Luke's Health System has been using the balanced scorecard approach described in this article to measure and monitor its performance for four years. This article will review the structure of the IT department's scorecard; the categories and measures used; how benchmarks are determined; how linkage to the organizational scorecard is made; how results are reported; how changes are made to the scorecard; and tips for using a scorecard in other IT departments.