Performance management

Performance management in health care sector

Introduction:Performance management is a science that brings controlled improvement, innovation, and stream lined success to any product or industrial sector. It can be applied to any business process or a particular product. It can be an effective vehicle, in bringing professional satisfaction in a job or building team work in a particular department such as, the patient care and customer service in health care industry. After a steady decline in the mortality rate from the 60's, due to the reduced risk of dying at an early age and increasing life expectancy at birth, with the consequent increase of aging population, an increase began to be evident from the 80's, to reach the population at older ages. The development achieved by our national health system puts us in a favorable position for face the inevitable challenge of population growth and aging, but what is education pace of medical social demands posed to health services, or do are our professionals skilled in competence and performance to develop and comply fully with basic tasks assigned to them, ie, health promotion, prevention and cure illness and rehabilitation of sickAccording to Fowler it is the organization of work in order to achieve best possible results, which is equal of the day to day activates of all managers (fowler 1999).Similarly, storey and sisson defined performance improvement as an interconnected set of rules and practice which considers individual performances and implements systems and controls, that can result in the achievement of organizational objectives (storey and sisson in 1993).Armstrong and Baron defined the characters tics of a performance management system. He presented a conceptual, organizational and operational definition of performance improvement, which has been particularly useful in implementing performance management measures in health care organizations.According Armstrong and baron performance management is a strategic tool, which can be used in effectively communicating organizational aims and objectives to all employees of the organization. It can be used in achieving organizational objectives by linking individual performance targets set at departmental or team level with wider organizational goals and objectives.The performance management process is a review process, which identifies the need of training and development and possible reward outcomes in order to achieve wider organization objectives. Similarly, performance management evaluates the systemic process and identifies the management hierarchy which can be held responsible for improving the efficiency of the organization (Armstrong and Baron, 1998, page 45).Discussion:The concept of performance health care sector is relatively new in health care sector. Terms like performance measures, indicator, appraisal and review and value for money and quality assurance (QA) have been incorporated in three last decades.Health care sector is different from the private sector, as the aims and objectives of the both sectors differs. There is no profit-maximizing objective, there is less potential of generating resource (money), and there is no bottom line against which performance can be evaluated.The concept of performance management was introduced in health sector in l80's and 90's, when organization and managerial reforms started appearing in health care sector therefore, the methodological approach applied in performance improvement and management in the health care sector is still in the process of development. Performance evaluation managers still understand the consequences, ...