Key Performance Indicators and Information Flow: The Cornerstones of Effective Knowledge Management for Managed Care

Abstract

It is paradoxical that, although several major technological discoveries such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Nuclear Medicine and Digital Radiology, which facilitate improvement in patient care, have been satisfactorily embraced by the medical community, this has not been the case with Healthcare Informatics. Thus, it can be argued that issues such as Data Management, Data Modeling, and Knowledge Management have a long way to go before reaching the maturity level that other technologies have achieved in the medical sector. This chapter proposes to explore trends and best practices regarding knowledge management from the viewpoint of performance management, based upon the use of Key Performance Indicators in healthcare systems. By assessing both balanced scorecards and quality assurance techniques in healthcare, it is possible to foresee an electronic healthcare record centered approach which drives information flow at all levels of the day-to-day process of delivering effective and managed care, and which finally moves towards information assessment and knowledge discovery.