Explain the concept of “benchmarking ” for health care organizations.

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Benchmarking involves more than comparing how the health care organization performs according to a benchmark, considering benchmark a measure or standard by which others may be measured or judged (benchmark, 2012). Benchmarking is in itself a process by which a standard of excellence is established according to certain parameters in the industry and a specific aspect of the organization or the organization as a whole is compared to that standard (Benson, 1994). The purpose of this process is to design strategies or set goals to maintain or increase the quality of health care provided by the organization. It is a process that will establish the best practices for the particular area or function. This can range from establishing an outpatient protocol for pulmonary care to acquiring a certification or accreditation status by a credentialing organization such as The Joint Commission (Glaab, Vogelmeier, Hellmann, & Buhl, 2012; The Joint Commission, 2012).

Several types of benchmarking have …