PHA-Exchange> Benchmarking - A Policy Analysis

[Claudio]

From: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC) 

BENCHMARKING - A POLICY ANALYSIS


Suzanne Wait, Judge Institute of Management

University of Cambridge

Foreword by John Wyn Owen CB, Secretary, Nuffield Trust
The Nuffield Trust, 2004



Available online asd PDf file [58p.] at: 
http://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/policy_themes/docs/benchmarking.pdf 



".....Benchmarking has infiltrated national and international health policy at a rapid pace over the past few years. Indicators are being developed to help nations benchmark the performance of their health care systems against that of other countries, and governments assess the performance of their health care systems at devolved levels of service delivery.


There is a considerable literature assessing the merits and caveats of different indicator systems. What is less available is an analysis of the policy relevance of benchmarking: is benchmarking achieving its objectives? Has it contributed to the betterment of health care systems? Do the generated data help guide policy-making? These are ambitious questions to address, yet it is our hope that this report may serve as a starting point for exploring them.


This report aims to propose a framework for assessing the value and policy relevance of benchmarking initiatives in health. This work is undertaken within the context of the Policy Futures research programme supported by the Nuffield Trust, in that it aspires to offer a tool to evaluate the capability of benchmarking to guide future health policy development. The framework proposed in this document will serve as a basis for future work exploring specific areas of benchmarking and health policy..."



"....Benchmarking: "a detailed analysis of comparative performance to help identify what

underlies differences between two similar bodies..."



Content:



Executive summary 

PART I: INTRODUCTION 


PART II: BENCHMARKING IN HEALTH

2.1. Categorisation of benchmarking 

2.1.1. Level of comparison 

2.1.2. Level of assessment 

2.1.3. Focus of measurement 

2.1.4. Intended use of benchmarking data 

2.2. Criteria for the selection of indicators 

2.3. Limitations of existing data 

2.4. The need for quality health information systems 


PART III: AN EXPLORATION OF POLICY MODELS 

3.1. The performance measurement model 

3.2. Rational versus political models of policy 

3.3. The policy process 

3.4. Policy implementation analysis 

3.5. Top-down and bottom-up models of policy implementation 

3.6. Evidence-based policy 


PART IV: BENCHMARKING IN PRACTICE 

4.1. International benchmarking 

4.1.1. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 

4.1.2. The World Health Organisation 

4.1.3. The Commonwealth Fund 

4.1.4. Other international players 

4.2. National benchmarking systems 

4.2.1. The United Kingdom 

4.2.1.1. England 

4.2.1.2. Wales 

4.2.1.3. Scotland 

4.2.1.4. Northern Ireland 

4.2.2. France

4.2.3. Canada 


PART V: ASSESSING BENCHMARKING FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE 

5.1. A framework for the assessment of benchmarking efforts 

5.2. What is the underlying conceptual framework? 

5.3. Are policy objectives made explicit within health care systems? 

5.4. Do benchmarking indicators reflect policy objectives? 

5.5. Does the collection of benchmarking data influence and guide policy? 

5.6. Does benchmarking stimulate change? 

5.7. Is the policy process underpinning benchmarking coherent? 

5.8. Does benchmarking follow a top-down or a bottom-up approach? 


PART VI: DISCUSSION 

References 

Appendix 1: List of persons interviewed



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