Sample Essay On Benchmarking

A nurse manager can use benchmarking in comparing a unit to other departments regarding budgeting, educational activities, shared governance, and productivity by organizing meetings with other departments once every month to carry out educational sessions as well as share information regarding quality initiatives in their facilities. Sharing of information is significant in improving productivity and governance of the facilities (Haag-Heitman & George, 2011). Benchmarking can be used in finding out how other departments develop cost-cutting as well as timesaving techniques, as such, helps in budgeting and improving productivity.
Benchmarking can be used by the nurse manager to streamline production within departments, enhancing the effectiveness of warehousing operations, reducing overtime within a facility admissions department, as well as boosting treatment of patients. Educators may review how healthcare institutions benchmarked, and acclimatize the process to needs within seminar or monthly benchmarking (Haag-Heitman & George, 2011).
Benchmarking is never a mechanical process; benchmarking is an attitude, practice, and a skill, which guarantees the institution often has its sights or objectives set on excellence, not just on improvement or development (Walleck, O’Halloran, & Leader, 1991). By participating within benchmarking, participants may be brought face-to-face to superior practices. Rather than being exhorted to excel, they may see for themselves ways of doing things better. Through such face-to-face meeting, comparison of a unit to other departments regarding budgeting, educational activities, shared governance, and productivity can be achieved.
Benchmarking can improve team performance by enabling discussions with institutions with superior performance within specific fields; learn what other teams did to excel, as well as institute better or similar improvements with a team (HFMA (U.S), 2009). In addition, benchmarking can boost healthy competition or unit pride by enabling review of how other institutions within the sector are approaching some policies and practices; and then taking hard look or assessment of how the your company measure up to contemporary industry standards. After a feel for how the institution is placed about competitors, benchmarking process is completed by recommending changes to the policies and practices (Haag-Heitman & George, 2011). Benchmarking ensures maintaining and achieving competitive advantage in the market through learning from competitors, which is a healthy competition.
Benchmarking may be employed in the action plan through defining key processes and fathoming how they function. Benchmarking helps in choosing the processes most appropriate to the action plan, such as processes that are most significant to customers or patients with chronic problems, which internal improvement entities have attempted, but failed.

References

Haag-Heitman, B., & George, V. (2011). Peer Review in Nursing: Principles for Successful Practice. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett.
Healthcare Financial Management Association (U.S.). (2009). Healthcare financial management. journal of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, 63(1-6), 1-79.
Walleck, A., O’Halloran, J.D., & Leader, C. A. (1991). Benchmarking world-class performance. The McKinsey Quarterly Reprint Series, 1(3-23), 6-27.