Overview Review the performance dashboard for a health care organization, as well as relevant local, state, and federal laws and policies. Then, write a report for senior leaders in the organization that communicates your analysis and evaluation of the current state of organizational performance, including a recommended metric to target for improvement. Note: Each assessment in this course builds on the work you completed in the previous assessment. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented. In the era of health care reform, many of the laws and policies set by government at the local, state, and federal levels have specific performance benchmarks related to care delivery outcomes that organizations must achieve. It is critical for organizational success that the interprofessional care team is able to understand reports and dashboards that display the metrics related to performance and compliance benchmarks. This assessment offers an opportunity for you to demonstrate and sharpen your ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate performance dashboard metrics. Assessment Instructions Preparation For this assessment, you may choose one of the following three options for a performance dashboard to use as the basis for your benchmark evaluation. Option 1: Dashboard and Health Care Benchmark Evaluation Simulation If you decide to use the simulation dashboard for your evaluation, review the dashboard, as well as relevant local, state, and federal laws and policies. Consider the metrics within the dashboard that are falling short of prescribed benchmarks. Option 2: Actual Dashboard From a Professional Practice Setting If you choose an actual dashboard from a professional practice setting for your evaluation, be sure to add a brief description of the organization and setting that includes: The size of the facility that the dashboard is reporting on. The specific type of care delivery. The population diversity and ethnicity demographics. The socioeconomic level of the population served by the organization. Note: Ensure that your data is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant. Do not use any easily identifiable organization or patient information. Option 3: Hypothetical Dashboard Based on a Professional Practice Setting If you have a sophisticated understanding of dashboards that are relevant to your own practice, you may also construct a hypothetical dashboard for your evaluation based on that setting. Your hypothetical dashboard must present at least four different metrics, at least two of which must be underperforming the relevant benchmark set forth by a federal, state, or local laws or policies. In addition, be sure to add a brief description of the organization and setting that includes: The size of the facility that the dashboard is reporting on. The specific type of care delivery. The population diversity and ethnicity demographics. The socioeconomic level of the population served by the organization. Note: Ensure that your data is HIPAA compliant. Do not use any easily identifiable organization or patient information. Report Requirements Structure your report in such a way that it would be easy for a colleague or supervisor to locate the information they need. Be sure to cite relevant local, state, or federal health care laws or policies when evaluating metric performance against prescribed benchmarks. Cite an additional 2–4 credible sources to support your analysis and evaluation of the challenges in meeting the benchmarks, the potential for performance improvement, and your advocacy for ethical action. Note: The tasks outlined below correspond to grading criteria in the scoring guide. In your report, be sure to: Evaluate dashboard metrics against the benchmarks set by local, state, or federal health care laws or policies. Which metrics are below the mandated benchmarks in the organization? Evaluate weaknesses within the entire set of benchmarks. What are the local, state, or federal health care laws or policies that set these benchmarks? Analyze challenges that meeting prescribed benchmarks can pose for the organization or for an interprofessional team. What are the specific challenges or opportunities that the organization or interprofessional team might have in meeting the benchmarks? For example, consider: The strategic direction of the organization. The organization's mission. Available resources: Staffing. Operational and capital funding. Physical space. Support services (any ancillary department that supports a specific care unit in the organization, such as a pharmacy, cleaning services, and dietary services). Cultural diversity in the organization. Cultural diversity in the community. Organizational processes and procedures. How might these challenges be contributing to benchmark underperformance? Evaluate a benchmark underperformance in the organization or interprofessional team that has the potential for greatly improving overall quality or performance. Which metric is underperforming its benchmark by the greatest degree? Which benchmark underperformance is the most widespread throughout the organization or interprofessional team? Which benchmark affects the greatest number of patients? Which benchmark affects the greatest number of staff? How does this underperformance affect the community the organization serves? Where is the greatest opportunity for improvement in the overall quality or performance of the organization or interpersonal team—and ultimately in patient outcomes? Advocate for ethical action in addressing the benchmark underperformance that has the potential for greatly improving overall quality or performance. At which group of stakeholders should your advocacy be directed? Which group could be expected to take the appropriate action to improve the benchmark metric? What are some ethical actions that the stakeholder group could take that support improved benchmark performance? Why should the stakeholder group take action? Communicate your findings and recommendations in a professional and effective manner. Ensure that your report is well organized and easy to read. Write clearly and logically, using correct grammar, punctuation, and mechanics. Integrate relevant sources to support your arguments, correctly formatting source citations and references using current APA style. Did you cite relevant local, state, or federal health care laws or policies when discussing the mandated benchmarks? Did you cite an additional 2–4 credible sources to support your analysis, evaluation, and advocacy? Suggested Resources The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The NHS-FP6004 – Health Care Policy and Law Library Guide can help direct your research, and the Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you. Performance Benchmarking Overview This activity enables you to review a metrics dashboard and hospital fact sheet to evaluate Mercy Medical Center’s performance relative to local, state, and federal benchmarking requirements.  Dashboard and Health Care Benchmark Evaluation. SHOW LESS Benchmarking and Performance Measurement Tools This article discusses best practices in benchmarking to aid organizations in creating a plan. Krause, J. (2017, July 28). Four questions to ask about healthcare benchmarking. Retrieved from http://www.managedhealthcareexecutive.com/benchmar... These resources examine performance measurement tools and benchmarking used for health care delivery.  Behrouzi, F., Shaharoun, A. M., & Ma'aram, A. (2014). Applications of the balanced scorecard for strategic management and performance measurement in the health sector. Australian Health Review, 38(2), 208–217. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Patient safety and quality. Retrieved from http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/patient_safety_qual... National Committee for Quality Assurance. (n.d.).  HEDIS and performance measurement. Retrieved from http://www.ncqa.org/hedis-quality-measurement 

Is there a difference between “common practice” and “best practice”?When you first went to work for your current organization, experienced colleagues may have shared with you details about processes and procedures. Perhaps you even attended an orientation session to brief you on these matters. As a Part 1: An Introduction to Clinical InquiryCreate a 4- to 5-slide PowerPoint presentation in which you do the following: Identify and briefly describe your chosen clinical issue of interest. Describe how you used keywords to search on your chosen clinical issue of interest. Identify the four research databases that you used to conduct your search for the peer-reviewed articles you selected. Provide APA citations of the four peer-reviewed articles you selected. Part 2: Identifying Research MethodologiesAfter reading each of the four peer-reviewed articles you selected, use the Matrix Worksheet template to analyze the methodologies applied in each of the four peer-reviewed articles. Your analysis should include the following: The full citation of each peer-reviewed article in APA format. A brief (1-paragraph) statement explaining why you chose this peer-reviewed article and/or how it relates to your clinical issue of interest, including a brief explanation of the ethics of research related to your clinical issue of interest. A brief (1-2 paragraph) description of the aims of the research of each peer-reviewed article. A brief (1-2 paragraph) description of the research methodology used. Be sure to identify if the methodology used was qualitative, quantitative, or a mixed-methods approach. Be specific. A brief (1- to 2-paragraph) description of the strengths of each of the research methodologies used, including reliability and validity of how the methodology was applied in each of the peer-reviewed articles you selected. Over time and with experience, perhaps you recognized aspects of these processes and procedures that you wanted to question further. This is the realm of clinical inquiry.Clinical inquiry is the practice of asking questions about clinical practice. To continuously improve patient care, all nurses should consistently use clinical inquiry to question why they are doing something the way they are doing it. Do they know why it is done this way, or is it just because we have always done it this way? Is it a common practice or a best practice?In this Assignment, you will identify clinical areas of interest and inquiry and practice searching for research in support of maintaining or changing these practices. You will also analyze this research to compare research methodologies employed.To Prepare: Review the Resources and identify a clinical issue of interest that can form the basis of a clinical inquiry. Based on the clinical issue of interest and using keywords related to the clinical issue of interest, search at least four different databases in the Walden Library to identify at least four relevant peer-reviewed articles related to your clinical issue of interest. Review the results of your peer-reviewed research and reflect on the process of using an unfiltered database to search for peer-reviewed research. Reflect on the types of research methodologies contained in the four relevant peer-reviewed articles you selected.