A guide to using performance measurement systems for continuous improvement.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires accredited organizations to use a performance measurement system that meets its inclusion requirements to satisfy performance outcome and measurement expectations. The system, known as the ORYX initiative, is used for both internal performance control and external performance comparisons. This article outlines a three-step approach to using a performance measurement system based on the philosophy of continuous improvement and the methods of statistical process control (SPC). SPC, the methodology recommended by the Joint Commission, can be applied to the analysis of many quality measures and can be implemented with Microsoft Excel software.