In late August, department and hospital leaders convened for two days to begin development of a balanced scorecard for the department. The session was led by Dan Montgomery, Vice President of Training and Certification for the Balanced Scorecard Institute.
The purpose of the meeting was to orient participants to the concept of a balanced scorecard and its potential benefits. A balanced scorecard is a planning and management tool for aligning the work of an operating unit, such as a clinical service or administrative group, to the vision and strategy of the larger organization. In healthcare organizations, balanced scorecards typically include four domains or pillars such as clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, financial performance and staff development. Measures are developed within each of the domains to determine how effectively the organization is achieving its goals.
Department administrator Kristie Golden said that the development of a scorecard will require input from everyone in the department since the aim is to align all the activities of the department. Leaders from the department and hospital will work with faculty and staff to create an overarching vision for the department, formulate specific goals and identify metrics to determine progress.
