title: Benchmarking in home care.
abstract: Recognizing that continuous quality improvement will be imperative for success in the future, six visiting nurse associations of northwestern Pennsylvania used benchmarking as a tool to improve their respective agencies' performance. The agencies benchmarked three areas: continuity of care, patient rehospitalization, and nosocomial infection rate.
authors.affiliation: Visiting Nurse Association of Venango County, Oil City, PA, USA.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Hudock
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smerker
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fanning
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chapla
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ireland
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010359:Patient Readmission; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*