The healthcare system has several metrics that play an important role in the measurement of performance. Measurement is part and parcel of the quality improvement process. It provides a means to determine what the hospital can do and any opportunities for future improvement. The first metric that is normally used in the hospital setting is known as the average hospital stay. The metric plays a significant role in evaluating the amount of time that the patients are staying in the care facility. The second fundamental metric is known as the hospital readmission rate, which tracks the number of patients coming back to the hospital care facility for treatment. The emergency room (ER) time identifies the rush hours in the emergency room (Ghazisaeidi et al., 2015).
It is vital for hospitals to determine their internal metric systems. First, it will act as a basis for quality improvement. Without an internal metric system, the care facility will find it difficult to know whether or not they have accomplished their goals. Most importantly, a system of internal metrics will help determine the individual input that each stakeholder is placing in the strategic plan of the organization. Critical to appreciate is the fact that metrics impact the overall operation of the healthcare organization (Lavy et al., 2014). First, they identify the areas of weaknesses and strength. Secondly, they can act as a basis for recommendation and policy changes for the betterment of the healthcare system.
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However, metrics have limitations in their use. The metrics might not reflect the actual situation in the care setting. For instance, the rate of hospital readmission as a metric can show high values. In the real sense, the rates of the hospital readmission could be elevated due to the shortcomings on the part of the patient or the health insurance policy. As such, this might not represent the actual situation in the hospital.
References
Ghazisaeidi, M., Safdari, R., Torabi, M., Mirzaee, M., Farzi, J., & Goodini, A. (2015). Development of performance dashboards in the healthcare sector: key practical issues. Acta Informatica Medica, 23(5), 317.
Lavy, S., Garcia, J. A., Scinto, P., & Dixit, M. K. (2014). Key performance indicators for facility performance assessment: simulation of core indicators. Construction Management and Economics, 32(12), 1183-1204.
