Measuring performance and outcomes in community hospitals: a case example

Selection, measurement, and communication of critical indicators of success, for both the patient and the organization, are increasingly important for today's health care agency. Each discipline brings expertise to bear on favorable quality and cost outcomes, including the patient and family. To make strategic decisions on both a micro (patient care) level and macro (organization or system) level, it is necessary to analyze results from a synthesized perspective. Nurse managers, physicians, administrators, governing boards, and payers need data presented via an instrument panel format to create understanding from multiple dimensions.