Can there ever be meaningful performance measures for a public health department? The Maricopa County Department of Public Health (Phoenix, Arizona) has been developing performance measures for over three years. The result is a set of over 200 performance measures that are used to plan for resources, provide data for grant applications and budget justifications, and demonstrate needs and accomplishments to the community at large. Throughout the three years of development, the Department experienced many of the benefits and difficulties of working with performance measures. This presentation will 1) discuss the best ways to use performance measures, including the potential pitfalls of using measures for “accountability” and some unexpected benefits 2) show examples of meaningful measures and demonstrate how the data for these measures are collected and maintained 3) outline the “ground up” process used to develop the measures, which includes involving staff at all levels of the organization and training them in data management.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, session attendees will be able to 1) Identify appropriate uses for performance measures, 2) Describe examples of public health performance measures, 3) Understand the process of developing performance measures “from the ground up”
Keywords: Performance Measures, Public Health Administration
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Maricopa County Department of Public Health
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: I am employed by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.