Analysis of Benchmarking in Healthcare: Benefits and Challenges

This report focuses on the concept of benchmarking within healthcare organizations. It begins by defining benchmarking and explaining its role in evaluating and improving the quality of work and processes within the healthcare setting. The report highlights the benefits of benchmarking, such as establishing excellent healthcare standards and aiding in the identification of strengths and weaknesses, which facilitates strategic planning for organizational improvement. It also addresses the potential drawbacks, including the possibility of rigid guidelines leading to reduced results or customer dissatisfaction. The report further discusses the importance of managerial communication with decision-makers to secure approval and gain valuable advice for effective implementation. It emphasizes the need to share benchmarks with the team, ensuring they are well-informed and aligned with the goals, and suggests methods for addressing any team disagreements through meetings and open discussions. The report concludes by reiterating the essential role of benchmarking in healthcare organizations and provides a clear guide for managers on how to effectively formulate and implement these benchmarks.

Running head: FORMULATING BENCHMARKS 0
FORMULATING BENCHMARKS
STUDENTS NAME:
12/1/2018

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INTRODUCTION
This essay discusses about formulating Benchmarks within the healthcare
organisation.
FORMULATING BENCHMARKS
A standardised set of rules, regulations and guidelines that is used for the evaluation
and measurement of quality of work or a policy is called a benchmark. Benchmarks are set by
a company by themselves and can be based on performance, experience, goals and law with
respect to own experience or experience of other companies (Q, 2012).
Some merits of formulating benchmarks within the healthcare organisations are:
 Benchmarking enables the expression of excellent healthcare standards.
 Provides a way to identify strengths and weaknesses, which makes it easier for the
organisation to make efficient plans for solving any problems or make any
improvements (Lovaglio, 2012).
 Healthcare constitutes multiple stakeholders and with the help, benchmarking each of
them can gain profit from safety and quality projects for positive development.
Some demerits of formulating benchmarks within the healthcare organisations are:
 It might lead to decrease in results because of strict unchangeable guidelines.
 It might result in customer dis satisfaction.
 It might fail to provide adequate amount of information.
A manager must communicate the goals of benchmarking with the decision makers of the
organisation in order to get their permission as it essential to carry on with it. It is also
essential to obtain necessary advice related to it for better implementation of the benchmark
or changing its structure and implementation process for maximum results as these decision
makers are more experienced and well informed.
It is essential to share benchmarks with the team because they are the people who will
directly participate in following and implementing these benchmarks and for that, it is
essential they get thoroughly educated on the same. This is also important to encourage team
spirit and unity within a team.

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A manager must arrange for a meeting in case his/her team disagrees with the benchmark.
In this meeting, he/she must provide detailed information about the benchmarks and convince
the team by letting them know about the advantages and development it will bring along. If
any team member has a valid and strong point of argument the manager must look into it and
if worthy enough include or exclude the point in the benchmark.
CONCLUSION
This essay concludes that Benchmarking is essential in a healthcare organisation and
explains how a manager must formulate it.
REFERENCES
Lovaglio, P. G. (2012). Benchmarking Strategies for Measuring the Quality of Healthcare:
Problems and Prospects. The Scientific World Journal, 13 Pages.
Q, R. H. (2012). International Benchmarking of Healthcare Quality. Rand health quarterly,
1(4), 6.

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