Development and implementation of dashboard technology in an acute care hospital

To succeed in today's competitive environment, healthcare organizations must be agile. If managers are to be accountable for operational effectiveness, they must have the tools necessary to make informed decisions. A critical aspect of this task is timely access to pertinent and accurate clinical and financial data. As a tool in the performance management process, dashboards, containing real-time data for key performance indicators linked to strategic objectives, provide the resources necessary to compare actual versus desired performance. Delivery of meaningful data in an easy-to-read format allows early recognition of adverse performance trends and supports informed decision-making and resource allocation. This project involves the identification of meaningful content, the selection of user-friendly software, and the deployment of a web-based dashboard system. This systematic approach to developing and implementing comprehensive dashboard technology and hardwiring the dashboards into the committee structure standardizes the performance review process and facilitates improved organizational performance.