Hospital on a page: standardizing data presentation to drive quality improvement

Over the past five years, the Credit Valley Hospital (CVH) invested time and financial and human resources into performance measurement systems. In doing so, CVH launched a number of data tools including electronic scorecards and dashboards. However, the processes and accountability structures associated with the tools struggled to gain credibility with clinical and administrative leadership as the performance measurement system was primarily driven by the technology rather than a sound information strategy. Although a corporate-level scorecard was regularly updated, program-related scorecards and other measurement tools were only populated when programs reported to the board, at the time of accreditation or as a result of regulatory requirements. In addition, information contained in data reports was often presented in a manner that did not engage clinical and corporate decision-makers in the key issues of quality, access and sustainability. Following the release of its new strategic plan in 2009, CVH renewed its performance measurement framework and the methods by which it presented data so that the organization's strategic plan could be implemented and measured from the boardroom to the bedside. Long, complex spreadsheets were transformed into strategically designed, easy-to-understand, easy-to-access reports released in a standardized method in terms of format, media, content and timing. The following article describes the method CVH adopted to communicate the organization's performance and the role it played in enhancing the culture of quality and patient safety within the hospital.