The KPIs a medical practice should actually watch

A medical KPI is a management system that helps clinics and doctors assess performance relative to the operation. Most organisations already run some form of management system for inventory, sales or accounting; in healthcare, consistency has to be observed to achieve optimum care quality.

There are four areas where medical KPIs are drawn: clinical, patient satisfaction, accident and emergency services, and financial. In a typical practice, twelve to sixteen indicators at practice level is the right range, with no more than four on the summary page.

Clinical

• Harms attributable to clinical negligence.
• Harms following surgery or procedures.
• Readmissions caused by gaps in care quality.
• Care-gap closure for the conditions you manage most.

These indicators look small against the overall goal of the organisation. But evaluating the quality of care being delivered is the only way to reach that goal.

Patient satisfaction

• Response time and attention to patient enquiries.
• Prompt resolution of complaints.
• Access to services — the third-next-available appointment.
• Trend in survey ratings, by site and provider.

In this area the emphasis shifts from quality to relationship. If becoming the clinic of choice in your area is the goal, credibility has to be built deliberately rather than assumed from clinical outcomes.

Access and emergency readiness

Where the practice handles urgent or trauma-oriented presentations, readiness is measurable: how staff attend to the situation, and whether materials and equipment are available when needed.

Financial

Financial indicators are not the last area so much as the first of many factors affecting performance. Return on investment is managed by the administrative side rather than the front line, but everyone needs to be practical about resources — purchase orders for medicines and supplies approved by the person in charge, for instance, to avoid excessive inventory.

And the two that are always forgotten

Cleanliness and accreditation. If the goal is to be the clinic of choice, compliance with health agency hygiene standards is not optional, and accreditation typically requires annual renewal of membership in a practitioner network. That means someone has to own the paperwork and the dates.

As standards in medical practice rise, so should the performance of medical organisations. Quality care cannot be measured by the number of patients a clinic handles in a day, but performance can be measured — and a KPI system is the tool for it.