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Issues for academic health centers to consider before implementing a balanced-scorecard effort.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Zelman, WN; Blazer, D; Gower, JM; Bumgarner, PO; Cancilla, LM
Published in: Acad Med
December 1999

Because of changes in the health care environment, it is likely that strategic planning and management will become much more important to academic health centers (AHCs) than in the past. One approach to strategic planning and management that is gaining the considerable interest of health care organizations is the balanced scorecard. Based on a year's experience in examining this management tool, and on early implementation efforts, the authors critically evaluate the applicability of the balanced-scorecard approach at AHCs in relation to two fundamental questions: Does the decentralized nature of most AHCs mitigate the potential usefulness of the balanced-scorecard approach? Are the balanced scorecard's four perspectives (learning and growth, internal; customer; and financial) appropriate for AHCs, which are neither for-profit nor manufacturing organizations? The authors conclude that (1) the unique characteristics of AHCs may mitigate the full benefit of the balanced-scorecard approach, and (2) in cases where it is used, some key modifications must be made in the balanced-scorecard approach to account for those unique characteristics. For example, in a corporation, the key question from the financial perspective is "To succeed financially, how should we appear to our stockholders?" But in an AHC, this question must be revised to "What financial condition must we achieve to allow us to accomplish our mission?"

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Published In

Acad Med

DOI

ISSN

1040-2446

Publication Date

December 1999

Volume

74

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1269 / 1277

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Planning Techniques
  • Organizational Objectives
  • Organizational Innovation
  • Humans
  • General & Internal Medicine
  • Financial Management
  • Education, Medical, Graduate
  • Academic Medical Centers
  • 4203 Health services and systems
 

Citation

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Zelman, W. N., Blazer, D., Gower, J. M., Bumgarner, P. O., & Cancilla, L. M. (1999). Issues for academic health centers to consider before implementing a balanced-scorecard effort. Acad Med, 74(12), 1269–1277. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-199912000-00006
Zelman, W. N., D. Blazer, J. M. Gower, P. O. Bumgarner, and L. M. Cancilla. “Issues for academic health centers to consider before implementing a balanced-scorecard effort.Acad Med 74, no. 12 (December 1999): 1269–77. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-199912000-00006.
Zelman WN, Blazer D, Gower JM, Bumgarner PO, Cancilla LM. Issues for academic health centers to consider before implementing a balanced-scorecard effort. Acad Med. 1999 Dec;74(12):1269–77.
Zelman, W. N., et al. “Issues for academic health centers to consider before implementing a balanced-scorecard effort.Acad Med, vol. 74, no. 12, Dec. 1999, pp. 1269–77. Pubmed, doi:10.1097/00001888-199912000-00006.
Zelman WN, Blazer D, Gower JM, Bumgarner PO, Cancilla LM. Issues for academic health centers to consider before implementing a balanced-scorecard effort. Acad Med. 1999 Dec;74(12):1269–1277.

Published In

Acad Med

DOI

ISSN

1040-2446

Publication Date

December 1999

Volume

74

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1269 / 1277

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Planning Techniques
  • Organizational Objectives
  • Organizational Innovation
  • Humans
  • General & Internal Medicine
  • Financial Management
  • Education, Medical, Graduate
  • Academic Medical Centers
  • 4203 Health services and systems