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Results for “Performance benchmarking”

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PubMed1999

Exceed your goals.

Benchmarking may not be the panacea it once seemed--especially the old model of buying data about competitors. Savvy managers have found new ways to set and beat their goals. Some are benchmarking against their own past performance, some are comparing with top performers instead of just local competition, and others are even looking outside the field for role models. "You need to identify best practices," urges one top benchmarking guru. "Look at the data clusters of those who do it significantly, whatever 'it' is."

Benchmarking↗

PubMed2006

Analysis and comparison of benchmarks for multiple sequence alignment.

The most popular way of comparing the performance of multiple sequence alignment programs is to use empirical testing on sets of test sequences. Several such test sets now exist, each with potential strengths and weaknesses. We apply several different alignment packages to 6 benchmark datasets, and compare their relative performances. HOMSTRAD, a collection of alignments of homologous proteins, is regularly used as a benchmark for sequence alignment though it is not designed as such, and lacks annotation of reliable regions within the alignment. We introduce this annotation into HOMSTRAD using protein structural superposition. Results on each database show that method performance is dependent on the input sequences. Alignment benchmarks are regularly used in combination to measure performance across a spectrum of alignment problems. Through combining benchmarks, it is possible to detect whether a program has been over-optimised for a single dataset, or alignment problem type.

Cluster Analysis↗

PubMed2006

Benchmark for evaluating the quality of DNA sequencing: proposal from an international external quality assessment scheme.

BACKGROUND: In the past 15 years, clinical laboratory science has been transformed by the use of technologies that cross the traditional boundaries between laboratory disciplines. However, during this period, issues of quality have not always been given adequate attention. The European Molecular Genetics Quality Network (EMQN) has developed a novel external quality assessment scheme for evaluation of DNA sequencing. We report the results of an international survey of the quality of DNA sequencing among 64 laboratories from 21 countries. METHODS: Current practice for DNA sequence analysis was established by use of an online questionnaire. Participating laboratories were provided with 4 DNA samples of validated genotype. Evaluation of the results included assessing the quality of sequence data, variant genotypes, and mutation nomenclature. To accommodate variations in mutation nomenclature, variants indicated by participants were scored for compliance with 3 acceptable marking schemes. RESULTS: A total of 346 genotypes were analyzed. Of these, 19 (5%) genotyping errors were made. Of these, 10 (53%) were false-negative and 9 (47%) were false-positive results. A further 27 (8%) errors were made in naming mutations. Results were analyzed for 3 indicators of data quality: PHRED quality scores, Quality Read Length, and Quality Read Overlap. Most laboratories produced results of acceptable diagnostic quality as judged by these indicators. The results were used to calculate a consensus benchmark for DNA sequencing against which individual laboratories could rank their performance. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that the consensus benchmark can be used as a baseline against which the aggregate and individual laboratory standard of DNA sequencing may be tracked from year to year.

Benchmarking↗

PubMed1999

Increasing utilisation efficiency of ferric chloride etchant in industrial photochemical machining.

The environmental effects of photochemical machining (PCM) can be appreciable in view of the nature of the industry whereby various chemicals are used in the preparation and cleaning of metal surfaces, photographic processing of phototooling, coating and selective removal (development) of photoresists, etching through apertures in the resist stencils and stripping of resist after etching. This paper concerns the environmental impact of ferric chloride, the most commonly used etchant in PCM, and is believed to be the first quantitative analysis for the PCM industry. The findings showed that more than half of the PCM companies used regeneration of ferric chloride etchant and 76.3% of companies were prepared to use a more environment-friendly regeneration system at a higher overall cost. Regarding ferric chloride consumption, it was found that the performance of companies varies greatly: companies using regeneration were, on average, nearly seven times (340.8% compared with 51.1%) more efficient than those that do not regenerate, and the most efficient company used 135 times less etchant than the least efficient company. The findings of this study and the analysis carried out can be used by PCM companies as a benchmark in assessing their environmental performance with respect to etchant consumption efficiency.

Benchmarking↗

PubMed2000

Top 100 in cardiac care perform 4.7% to 31% better than others.

Data Benchmarks: Measure your hospital against the best in cardiovascular care. A new study from HCIA-Sachs LLC shows that the top-performing cardiovascular programs are ahead of their peers by 4.7% to 31% in eight measures of clinical quality and efficiency.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Practice re-engineering through the use of benchmarks: Part 1.

Benchmarking can be a useful tool to assist practices in successfully re-engineering their practices to achieve performance improvement. Unfortunately, although many practices identify benchmarks, they often are not integrated into day-to-day operations or used to create accountability or re-engineer processes. Part 1 of this series describes the nine-step benchmarking process and discusses how to successfully use the process to improve performance through process re-engineering. Part 2 will identify key indicators to measure performance and explain how to integrate their use into the practice's daily operations.

Benchmarking↗

PubMed1996

Measuring clinical performance to provide information for quality improvement.

Measures of clinical performance summarize quality of care given to groups of patients by a practice, provider network, or plan. Clinical managers can use these measures to drive and track internal quality improvements, and purchasers and accreditors can provide benchmarks based on comparisons of performance in order to stimulate internal improvements. This article explains desired properties of such clinical performance measures and the AHCPR Typology of Clinical Performance Measures Project.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed2005

Improving hospital budgeting and accountability a best practice approach.

Best practices in setting and managing healthcare organization budgets include: Using comparative benchmarks. Setting accurate, high-performance department budgets. Establishing a culture of accountability. Managing expenses. Monitoring variances and requiring corrective action plans. Employing a balanced scorecard.

Benchmarking↗

PubMed2026

Integrated computational and experimental benchmarking of Bacillus phage endolysins reveals the relationship between peptidoglycan-fragment recognition descriptors and antibacterial performance.

Protein-based antibacterials such as bacteriophage endolysins offer a targeted therapeutic strategy against Gram-positive pathogens. However, prioritizing the most effective candidates from the large sequence diversity available remains a significant challenge. Here we present a standardized computational-experimental benchmarking framework that evaluates seven phage-derived endolysin variants (E1, E2, E3, E7, E10, E12, and E15) identified from Bacillus genomes. We combined molecular docking and residue-level interaction mapping against muramyl dipeptide (MDP), a minimal conserved peptidoglycan motif, with 1000-ns molecular dynamics simulations, MM/PBSA binding free-energy estimation, and matched functional inhibition assays against Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus. Computational analyses revealed generally favorable MDP recognition across variants, albeit with notable differences in contact patterns and complex stability profiles. Experimental screening identified E2 as the most potent antibacterial agent against both species, while E7 and E1 performed strongly in selected computational metrics. Integrated analysis showed only modest correlations between computational descriptors of fragment recognition/stability and observed antibacterial performance. This study establishes a practical comparative benchmarking platform for endolysin candidate prioritization, nominates E2 and E7 as promising candidates for further development, and highlights E1 as a potential structural scaffold for rational engineering, while explicitly demonstrating both the utility and the current limitations of using minimal peptidoglycan fragments as proxies for full cell-wall recognition in lysin benchmarking.

Endopeptidases↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Practice re-engineering through the use of benchmarks: Part II.

Benchmarking can be a useful tool to assist practices in successfully re-engineering their practices to achieve performance improvement. Unfortunately, while many practices identify benchmarks, they are not often integrated into the day-to-day operations of the practice, used to create accountability, or used to help re-engineer processes. Part I described the nine-step benchmarking process and discussed how to use the process successfully to improve performance through process re-engineering. Part II identifies key indicators to measure performance and explains how to integrate their use into the practice's daily operations.

Accounts Payable and Receivable↗

PubMed2025

vcfsim: flexible simulation of all-sites VCFs with missing data.

BACKGROUND |: VCFs are the most widely used data format for encoding genetic variation. By design, standard VCFs do not include data from sites where all individuals are homozygous for the reference allele ("invariant sites") and thus do not differentiate these from sites where data are completely missing. However, missing data are a key feature of biological datasets across all domains of genomics, and many recent studies have shown that missing data can introduce a variety of statistical biases in the estimation of key population genetic parameters. A solution to this limitation is to include invariant sites in a standard VCF, creating an "all-sites VCF", exposing missing and invariant sites explicitly. One hurdle to the wider adoption of all-sites VCFs is a reliable parameterized simulation framework for generating biologically realistic all-sites VCFs. RESULTS |: Here, we introduce an open-source command line tool, vcfsim, that interfaces with the popular coalescent simulation platform msprime and provides convenience functions for simulating all-sites VCFs with variable levels of ploidy and missing data. We show that the post-processed VCFs generated using vcfsim align precisely with population genetic expectations (i.e. are statistically identical to raw msprime output), accurately introduce missing data, and permit the simulation of data with varying ploidy levels, including the simulation of intraindividual ploidy variation (e.g. heterogametic sex chromosomes) and population structures. CONCLUSIONS |: Our results vcfsim is a useful and easy-to-use tool for the benchmarking of new software tools, performing population genetic inference, training of machine learning models, and the exploration of the effects of missing data in genomics data sets.

Benchmarking↗

PubMed2005

A method for benchmarking CT scanners.

This study involved the development of an objective method to compare the performance of five CT scanners for the purpose of benchmarking. The method used to assess the scanners was to determine the dose-normalised noise at a spatial resolution of 5.5 cm(-1). This gave a dose-normalised percent noise between 0.37% and 0.76%. The scanners were also assessed for radiation dose to patients undergoing abdomen and head CT examinations. Patients' dose-length product (DLP) for the abdomen clinical examinations varied from 305 to 685 mGy-cm, and for the head clinical examinations from 333 to 900 mGy-cm. The study results demonstrated that the comparison of dose and spatial resolution normalised percent noise levels is a useful method of comparing CT scanner performance.

Australia↗

PubMed1999

Achievable benchmarks of care: the ABCs of benchmarking.

Benchmarking is generally considered to be an important tool for quality improvement. Traditional approaches to benchmarking have relied on subjective identification of 'leaders in the field'. We derive an objective, reproducible and attainable Achievable Benchmark of Care (ABC) by measuring and analysing performance on process-of-care indicators. Three characteristics of the ABC that we deem essential are: (1) benchmarks represent a measurable level of excellence; (2) benchmarks are demonstrably attainable; (3) benchmarks are derived from data in an objective, reproducible and predetermined fashion. From these characteristics it follows that (4) providers with high performance are selected to define a level of excellence in a predetermined fashion, but (5) providers with high performance on small numbers of cases do not influence unduly benchmark levels. We use the 'pared mean' to operationalize the ABC. Roughly, the pared mean summarizes the performance of top-ranked providers whereby at least 10% of the patient pool across all providers is included. Bayesian estimators for adjustment of performance of providers with small sample sizes are used to rank providers. Randomized controlled trials to assess the independent effect of the ABC in quality improvement projects are under way. We have developed a methodology objectively and reproducibly to derive a level of excellent, attainable performance, based on measured performance by a group of providers. The ABC can be applied to groups of providers in communities, to institutions and departments within them, or to individual practitioners.

Bayes Theorem↗

PubMed2001

Benchmarking your practice.

A medical practice is a business and as such is governed by the principles of good business management; these include planning, budgeting, and supervision. A benchmark comparison of a practice is the first step in identifying the factors that determine the financial performance of the practice. However, it is only a first step. Performance is also measured against expectations. A benchmark comparison against market data is not the only tool to use in managing a business successfully. Creating a financial budget together with performance standards is essential to developing and maintaining a healthy practice.

Benchmarking↗

PubMed2002

Longitudinal analysis of student performance in a dental hygiene distance education program.

The purpose of the study was to determine if learners who receive face-to-face instruction in an educational program performed statistically better on established benchmark assessments (GPA, course averages, and NBDHE) than learners at a distance from the didactic course instructor. A comparative, quasi-experimental, ex-post facto study was conducted. The treatment variable was program type: face-to-face vs. distance. The performance of five consecutive classes was analyzed, from 1997 to 2001. These five classes consisted of 221 learners, 105 of them at the host site and 115 using distance learning. The experimental groups were divided based upon location--host or cooperating college (distance) site learners. Study results identified no significant difference between host and distance learner performance for the entire educational program. The use of interactive television (ITV) for delivery of an educational program using distance education technology provided acceptable results in learner didactic performance. Learners at both the host and cooperating college (distance) sites performed equally well. The results were used to document program outcomes.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2000

Benchmarking method relies on data snapshots.

This surgical performance measurement methodology takes a data 'snapshots' of peer facilities. Data are collected within the same time window. Reports compare participants with similar surgical facilities. Top performers' methods are shared with all participants in the interest of sharing proven quality techniques.

Benchmarking↗

PubMed2005

Performance monitoring in the Victorian health care system: an exploratory study.

This paper reports on an exploratory study which aims to improve our understanding of how the Chief Executive Officers of Victorian health services monitor strategic and operational performance in their organisations. As a component of a large scale human resource management study, we surveyed 130 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Victorian health sector agencies. Our findings suggest that performance monitoring was more advanced among the larger Victorian health sector organisations, and that there were areas for improvement throughout the system. Overall, the CEOs reported limited use of performance indicators related to service and clinical perspectives, with financial and volume indicators most widely used. There was little evidence that these organisations had processes in place (such as benchmarking and linking required outcomes to staff performance management) to understand the implications of the performance information and translate them into management action. The findings suggest that the sector requires technical expertise and support in data reporting, benchmarking and quality improvement in order to improve performance monitoring and ensure its relevance to strategic control, but further study is required.

Accreditation↗

PubMed1998

Building human resources capability in health care: a global analysis of best practice--Part III.

This is the last part of a series of three papers which discussed very comprehensively best practice applications in human resource management by drawing special inferences to the healthcare context. It emerged from parts I and II that high performing organisations plan and intend to build sustainable capability through a systematic consideration of the human element as the key asset and through a continuous process of training, developing, empowering and engaging people in all aspects of organisational excellence. Part III brings this debate to a close by demonstrating what brings about organisational excellence and proposes a road map for effective human resource development and management, based on world class standards. Healthcare human resource professionals can now rise to the challenge and plan ahead for building organisational capability and sustainable performance.

Benchmarking↗