Performance measurement design: a contingency perspective from the Italian regional healthcare services

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna Spanò ◽  
Mariavittoria Cicellin ◽  
Adriana Scuotto
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Measurement Design ◽  
Design Characteristics ◽  
Contingent Approach ◽  
Assessment Procedures ◽  
Regional Health Systems

Purpose In the last few decades, the effectiveness of the evaluation of human resources and their performances has become a crucial theme in the debates of the public sector. The purpose of this paper is to analyze key design characteristics of performance management system (PMS) that may be effectively adopted and deployed by management to enable the assessment for a health system improvement. Design/methodology/approach This paper falls under the field of studies that focuses on the design and implementation of PMS in the healthcare sector. This research adopted a qualitative approach across the case study method to understand the role of different contextual factors and their impact upon the design of PMS. Mainly drawing on previous studies on the Italian regional health systems, a target region has been selected for these purposes. Findings As a result, the new PMS was effectively working and was structured with a balanced focus on the region and the single healthcare organizations. The need for improving the information systems within the healthcare organizations was strongly emphasized. The crucial element of the new PMS was the transparency about the assessment procedures. Originality/value This paper contributes to the debate on factors that can influence the design of PMS in healthcare. Relying on a contingent approach, the authors put forward the need of a more comprehensive and integrated frameworks encompassing organic conception of PMSs, as well as of the interdependencies among their components.

Survey of Cloud Computing in Healthcare Sector

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 337
Author(s):  
S. Karthiga Devi ◽  
B. Arputhamary
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Cloud Infrastructure ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Privacy And Security ◽  
Healthcare Data ◽  
Number Of Patients

Today the volume of healthcare data generated increased rapidly because of the number of patients in each hospital increasing.  These data are most important for decision making and delivering the best care for patients. Healthcare providers are now faced with collecting, managing, storing and securing huge amounts of sensitive protected health information. As a result, an increasing number of healthcare organizations are turning to cloud based services. Cloud computing offers a viable, secure alternative to premise based healthcare solutions. The infrastructure of Cloud is characterized by a high volume storage and a high throughput. The privacy and security are the two most important concerns in cloud-based healthcare services. Healthcare organization should have electronic medical records in order to use the cloud infrastructure. This paper surveys the challenges of cloud in healthcare and benefits of cloud techniques in health care industries.

scholarly journals Interventions to reduce sickness absence among healthcare workers: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-162
Author(s):  
Laura Simmons ◽  
Arwel W. Jones ◽  
Niro Siriwardena ◽  
Christopher Bridle
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Primary Outcome Measure ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Intervention Programme ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multicomponent Intervention

Purpose Sickness absence is a major concern for healthcare services and their employees with healthcare workers having higher sickness absence rates compared to the general population. The purpose of this paper is to systematically review randomised control trials (RCTs) that aimed to reduce sickness absence among healthcare workers. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review was conducted that aimed to include RCTs with study participants who were employed in any part of the healthcare sector. This review included any type of intervention with the primary outcome measure being sickness absence. Findings Seven studies were included in the review and consisted of one exercise-only intervention, three multicomponent intervention programmes, two influenza vaccination interventions and one process consultation. Three studies (exercise-only, one multicomponent intervention programme and one influenza vaccination intervention) were able to demonstrate a reduction in sickness absence compared to control. Research limitations/implications Due to the lack of high-quality evidence, this review identified that there are currently no interventions that healthcare organisations are able to use to effectively reduce sickness absence among their employees. This review also highlights the importance of a standardised measure of sickness absence for healthcare staff, such as shifts. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review to synthesise such evidence among healthcare workers.

scholarly journals User-centric work environments in modular healthcare facilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1047-1062
Author(s):  
Leena Aalto ◽  
Pia Sirola ◽  
Tiina Kalliomäki-Levanto ◽  
Marjaana Lahtinen ◽  
Virpi Ruohomäki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
User Centric ◽  
Traditional Construction

Purpose The challenges arising from the reform of the social and healthcare sector call for efficient, effective and novel processes in both public and private health and medical care. Facilities need to be designed to suit the new processes and to offer usable workspaces at different levels of healthcare services. Along with traditional construction, modular facility innovations could be one solution to these pressures. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This case study analyzed the different usability characteristics of the work environment in modular and non-modular healthcare facilities (HCFs). The qualitative research method was based on semi-structured interviews of employees and observations of the case buildings. Findings According to the results, the usability characteristics were divided into four main categories: functionality, healthiness, safety/security and comfort. The main differences between the modular and non-modular facilities appeared to be room size, soundproofing, safety issues and the utilization of colors and artwork, which were all perceived as better realized in the non-modular facilities. The staff highlighted functionality as the most important characteristic in their work environment. They even considered functionality as a feature of a comfortable work environment. Originality/value This paper presents new knowledge and a detailed description of the opinions and experiences of healthcare professionals concerning a user-centric, usable environment in the context of modular and non-modular HCFs.

A systematic review of Lean in healthcare: a global prospective

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 1370-1391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Vijaya Sunder M. ◽  
Raja Sreedharan ◽  
Ayon Chakraborty ◽  
Angappa Gunasekaran
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Motivating Factors ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Fostered by a rapid spread beyond the manufacturing sector, Lean philosophy for continuous improvement has been widely used in service organizations, primarily in the healthcare sector. However, there is a limited research on the motivating factors, challenges and benefits of implementing Lean in healthcare. Taking this as a valuable opportunity, the purpose of this paper is to present the key motivating factors, limitations or challenges of Lean deployment, benefits of Lean in healthcare and key gaps in the literature as an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach The authors used the secondary data from the literature (peer-reviewed journal articles) published between 2000 and 2016 to understand the state of the art. The systematic review identified 101 articles across 88 journals recognized by the Association of Business Schools ranking guide 2015. Findings The systematic review helped the authors to identify the evolution, current trends, research gaps and an agenda for future research for Lean in healthcare. A bouquet of motivating factors, challenges/limitations and benefits of Lean in healthcare are presented. Practical implications The implications of this work include directions for managers and healthcare professionals in healthcare organizations to embark on a focused Lean journey aligned with the strategic objectives. This work could serve as a valuable resource to both practitioners and researchers for learning, investigating and rightly adapting the Lean in the healthcare sector. Originality/value This study is perhaps one of the comprehensive systematic literature reviews covering an important agenda of Lean in Healthcare. All the text, figures and tables featured here are original work carried by five authors in collaboration (from three countries, namely, India, the USA and the UK).

Value that matters: intellectual capital and big data to assess performance in healthcare. An empirical analysis on the European context

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ginevra Gravili ◽  
Francesco Manta ◽  
Concetta Lucia Cristofaro ◽  
Rocco Reina ◽  
Pierluigi Toma
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Structural Capital ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to analyze and measure the effects of intellectual capital (IC), i.e. human capital (HC), relational capital (RC) and structural capital (SC), on healthcare industry organizational performance and understanding the role of data analytics and big data (BD) in healthcare value creation (Wang et al., 2018). Through the assessment of determined variables specific for each component of IC, the paper identifies the guidelines and suggests propositions for a more efficient response in terms of services provided to citizens and, specifically, patients, as well as predicting effective strategies to improve the care management efficiency in terms of cost reduction.Design/methodology/approachThe study has a twofold approach: in the first part, the authors operated a systematic review of the academic literature aiming to enquire the relationship between IC, big data analytics (BDA) and healthcare system, which were also the descriptors employed. In the second part, the authors built an econometric model analyzed through panel data analysis, studying the relationship between IC, namely human, relational and structural capital indicators, and the performance of healthcare system in terms of performance. The study has been conducted on a sample of 28 European countries, notwithstanding the belonging to specific international or supranational bodies, between 2011 and 2016.FindingsThe paper proposes a data-driven model that presents new approach to IC assessment, extendable to other economic sectors beyond healthcare. It shows the existence of a positive impact (turning into a mathematical inverse relationship) of the human, relational and structural capital on the performance indicator, while the physical assets (i.e. the available beds in hospitals on total population) positively mediates the relationship, turning into a negative impact of non-IC related inputs on healthcare performance. The result is relevant in terms of managerial implications, enhancing the opportunity to highlight the crucial role of IC in the healthcare sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe relationship between IC indicators and performance could be employed in other sectors, disseminating new approaches in academic research. Through the establishment of a relationship between IC factors and performance, the authors implemented an approach in which healthcare organizations are active participants in their economic and social value creation. This challenges the views of knowledge sharing deeply held inside organizations by creating “new value” developed through a more collaborative and permeated approach in terms of knowledge spillovers. A limitation is given by a fragmented policymaking process which carries out different results in each country.Practical implicationsThe analysis provides interesting implications on multiple perspectives. The novelty of the study provides interesting implications for managers, practitioners and governmental bodies. A more efficient healthcare system could provide better results in terms of cost minimization and reduction of hospitalization period. Moreover, dissemination of new scientific knowledge and drivers of specialization enhances best practices sharing in the healthcare sector. On the other hand, an improvement in preventive medicine practices could help in reducing the overload of demand for curative treatments, on the perspective of sharply decreasing the avoidable deaths rate and improving societal standards.Originality/valueThe authors provide a new holistic framework on the relationship between IC, BDA and organizational performance in healthcare organizations through a systematic review approach and an empirical panel analysis at a multinational level, which is quite a novelty regarding the healthcare. There is little research focussed on healthcare industries' organizational performance, and, specifically, most of the research on IC in healthcare delivered results in terms of theoretical contribution and qualitative analyzes. The authors even contributed to analyze the healthcare industry in the light of the possible existence of synergies and networks among countries.

Healthscape role towards customer satisfaction in private healthcare

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 600-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debajani Sahoo ◽  
Tathagata Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Private Healthcare

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the motives that enforce consumers to find out the major determinants that frame healthscape in private healthcare service that leads to their satisfaction in a developing country like India. Design/methodology/approach – The generic motive dimensions are identified using an exploratory factor analysis. Next the reliability and validity of the factors are established followed by regression analysis using SPSS 20.0 s/w. Findings – This paper identifies six healthscape motives in the private healthcare sector named as service personnel conduct and cleanliness, service delivery and facilities, ambience, location and look, appealing decoration, and upgraded safety service, out of which only service delivery, ambience, location, and decorations contribute the most to build customer satisfaction as per their significance value. Research limitations/implications – The various dimensions of healthcare motives should be viewed as the levers of improving hospitals’ service quality in the minds of its present and future customers. This finding can offer valuable insight to the forthcoming as well as existing developer who are planning to have their healthcare service presence in India. Practical implications – This study suggests some important strategic guidelines for service positioning and market segmentation of healthcare services as per customer requirements. In the recent past, availing services from hospitals were purely utilitarian in nature. Customers were more inclined to get proper and timely services and cared more about the service quality of the healthcare service provider. Originality/value – This paper is among the few works done on understanding private healthcare service delivery process in India and customer satisfaction level from those Hospitals. This study addresses the gap by identifying a set of dimensions that are relevant to customers for a unique healthcare experience.

scholarly journals Adoption of practices for organizational effectiveness in healthcare supply chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 915-938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matloub Hussain ◽  
Fatima Al Hammadi ◽  
Dotun Adebanjo
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Organizational Effectiveness ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Process Output ◽  
Healthcare Process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the adoption of practices and investigating of commonalities/intensities between the factors for measuring organizational effectiveness (OE) across healthcare supply chains in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach System theory coupled with the Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer tool was applied to facilitate the linkage between different nodes of the healthcare chain. An exploratory approach was used to explore and measure the importance of various OE factors across various nodes of the healthcare supply chain. Data were collected using a two-stage questionnaire process addressed at personnel in the UAE’s healthcare sector. Findings The study identified that 62 OE factors in the health are supply chain. Of these, 15 are related to suppliers, 14 to the healthcare process, 12 to employees, 8 to patients and the community, 6 to government directives and 7 to branding. In total, 21 common factors were identified and clustered into groups based on commonalities and intensities. Research limitations/implications The study identifies the most important factors for healthcare organizations to achieve OE for different dimensions of operations or performance. These factors will provide valuable insights for decision makers in the sector; it will provide valuable insights to healthcare professionals and academia to investigate more on these factors. Originality/value While there is an increasing research interest in healthcare supply chains, this is the first study to investigate OE across the entire chain while also evaluating the importance of and commonalities in OE-enabling factors.

Primary health care facility performance assessment in Armenia

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-155
Author(s):  
Tsovinar Harutyunyan ◽  
Anahit Demirchyan ◽  
Michael Thompson ◽  
Varduhi Petrosyan
Keyword(s):  
Access To Care ◽  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Primary Health Care Facility ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to focus on the performance of select facilities in Lori and Shirak provinces in Armenia in Spring 2008. This is in response to the deterioration of the primary healthcare sector in Armenia.Design/methodology/approachThe performance assessment focused on the status of several performance indicators, both current and as recalled for 2006. The interviewer‐administered questionnaire addressed access to care, provider relations with community and clients, environment, management, and primary and secondary prevention at the facilities. For each domain, a summative score that ranged from 0 to 3 was computed and a mean score for each facility derived.FindingsThe project has had significant positive impact on facilities' performance. Access to care scores increased from 2.0 in 2006 to 2.5 in 2008; provider relations with community improved from 1.1 to 1.4; environment scores improved from 1.3 to 1.9, facility management improved from 1.4 to 1.7; and prevention efforts increased from 1.3 to 1.9. The overall mean facility score increased from 1.4 to 1.8. Although the scores for small rural clinics increased, their scores were lower than the scores for other facility types.Originality/valueIn the chronic absence of administrative surveillance data, this paper provides valuable information on the status of primary healthcare services in Armenian provinces. It demonstrates the value of interviewer‐administered performance assessments in obtaining data across project sites when internal monitoring of progress is unavailable.

Healthcare sustainability and the role of intellectual capital

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 544-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Cavicchi
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of intellectual capital (IC) in promoting the sustainable development (SD) program of the Emilia-Romagna Health Service. The contributions of the following assets were investigated: leadership and competences, culture, performance measurement and incentives systems, social capital and technologies. Design/methodology/approach The case study was conducted following a hierarchical approach: perceptions of the regional directorate of public and social health, the general directors and healthcare professionals of the regional health system (the setting) were analyzed through interviews, focus groups and documentation in order to investigate: the emerging definition of SD within the setting; the role of IC, if any, in the achievement of the regional SD goals. Findings SD culture did not expand at the operative level because of the lack of involvement of healthcare professionals in a permanent dialogue for sustainability. Sustainability projects were not systematic which restricted the development of staff awareness of sustainability issues. Social capital enabled environmental projects and medical projects that increased patients’ involvement in disease management. Technology could help the shift toward sustainability, but it requires consideration of tangible and intangible costs for its successful adoption. SD performance measurement and incentives were in their infancy and cost accounting continues to dominate the healthcare sustainability debate. Research limitations/implications Despite the low number of healthcare professionals involved in the focus groups, the paper represents one of the first attempts to frame their perceptions on SD implementation in healthcare. Practical implications Regional institutions should consider new ways of enacting SD which should be more inclusive of healthcare professionals. The establishment of a permanent interdisciplinary dialogue on sustainability would develop human, social and structural capital for sustainability. Healthcare organizations should monitor the environmental and social effects of their operations to enact their primary mission: the promotion of health. Originality/value The paper contributes to theory development related to the role of IC for SD in the public sector context and, in particular, in the healthcare sector where evidence is currently limited.

A case of the blues: depression screenings in a community pharmacy

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-50
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Mazzei ◽  
John A. Galdo
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
The State ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Academic Level

Theoretical basis This case builds on elements of project management (PM) – specifically project initiation – including the development of a project charter and stakeholder analysis. Research methodology The case was developed from secondary sources as well as first-hand knowledge of the project by one of the authors. This author was on faculty at a private university in the southeastern USA, teaching numerous courses in the pharmacy curriculum while also serving as the Community Practice Residency Director for community pharmacies around the state. While connecting with these organizations, additional revenue requirements and complementary services were frequent topics of attention, leading to a grant to assist pharmacies in building out such services. Through this grant, the author engaged in consultations with community pharmacies around the state, including the pharmacy highlighted via this case. Pseudonyms have been used for the business, and all individuals associated with it, to maintain anonymity. Secondary sources used for additional research include industry reports and related websites. Case overview/synopsis Richard has owned and operated a community pharmacy, Our Family Farmacy (OFF), for years. A changing industry climate has forced Richard to diversify the products and services he provides. In addition to the distribution of medicine and front-end sales of consumer goods, Richard is seeking to expand into a larger spectrum of healthcare services. After researching several different types of services, and after dealing with related personal family circumstances, Richard decided that OFF should begin their expansion by offering depression screening services. He turned initiation of the project over to his pharmacy intern, Caitlin. Complexity academic level This compact case is geared toward undergraduate- and graduate-level students taking courses in general management and, more specifically, PM. This case might also be used by students with a career focus in the healthcare sector, and could of particular interest for students in a pharmacy program. Classroom application should encompass discussions on the project initiation process group, particularly with the processes regarding the project charter deliverable and the identification and assessment of project stakeholders.

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