Dashboard Benchmark Evaluation

Mercy Medical Center (MMC) is among the top-ranked hospital in Minnesota. In this task, the dashboard metrics of Mercy Medical
Center (MCC), will be compared with the national benchmarks to check the performance of the MCC in terms of the quality of care
being provided to the patients. on analyzing the metrics, further performances of the hospital will be analyzed. The challenges will also
be identified to understand the cause of underperformance. And lastly, while outlining the strategies to overcome the
underperformances, ethical considerations toward key stakeholders will also be formulated to provide better health services to
patients that are not only reliable, and safe but also cost-effective.

Evaluation of Dashboard Metrics Associated with Benchmark

On analyzing the metrics of MCC, it can be seen that people from various races have visited the healthcare facility. Most dominantly,
63% of the white population visited the hospital, followed by American Indians at around 13%, then 3% of the African American
population also visited the hospital, and lastly, then 2% accounts for other races. Similarly in the last quarter of 2020, patients of every
age visited the hospital. On examining the eye exam, foot exam, and HgbA1c tests, the decline in tests being conducted can be seen
among HgbA1c tests and foot exams. In 2019, Q1 60-foot exams while 60 A1c exams were conducted as compared to 2020 Q1 tests
standing at 75-foot exams and 72A1c tests. In 2019 Q2, 50-foot exams were conducted and 28 A1c exams while in 2020 Q2 the
dashboard represents the 50-foot exams conducted and 52 A1c tests. In 2019 Q3, the data stands at 42-foot exams and 60 A1c
exams while in 2020 Q3, the ratio is seen as 48 eye exams and 78 A1c exams. In the last quarter of 2019, 42-foot exams and 42 A1c
exams were performed while in the last quarter of 2020, the data stands at 62-foot exams and 64 A1c exams respectively. On
quarterly bases, the number of eye examinations has stayed comparatively constant in 2018 and 2019. But the decline in tests being
conducted can significantly be seen in Hgba1c tests and foot exams. Eye exams, foot exams, and A1c exams are strongly linked with
diabetes. And on analyzing these metrics with diabetes. These tests are important for diagnosing diabetes in patients. A1c exams are
conducted to check the levels of sugar in the body for the past 2 to 3 months. An eye exam is conducted to check for the dilation of
pupils. While the foot exam is conducted to check the circulation of blood in the foot along with the sensitivity of nerves (Albright and
Fleischer, 2021). Similarly, the benchmarking criteria outlined by the AHRQ for diabetes are the following.

NURS FPX 6004 Assessment 1 Dashboard Benchmark Evaluation

1. A1c tests for checking glucose levels,
2. Dilated eyes exam, and
3. Foot examination for possible sores or nerve damage (AHRQ, 2022)

On comparing these national benchmarks, it can be observed that MMC is unable to achieve the national benchmarks of foot exams
and A1c testing. Following these national benchmarks can help in diagnosing diabetes in the early stages helping in managing the
disease along with minimizing the prevalence of T2D. As diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases that has affected people
globally. It is considered a growing epidemic as 1 in every 10 people is considered diabetic while 1 in every 5 people are unaware of
their diabetic condition. Around 1.4 million new diabetic cases were detected in 2019. All ethnic and racial minority populations,
particularly Black teens, had a surge of new instances of diabetes millets in people between the ages of 10 to 19 (CDC, 2022). This
causes an alarming situation and conducting these tests will help in diagnosing diabetes at early stages resulting in better health
management and better self-care before the conditions lead to complexities and in severe cases to amputations or a condition that
can be fatal (Graz et al., 2018).

Challenges Meeting Prescribed Benchmarks

Benchmarking is a phrase that relates to a standard or practice that can be followed to evaluate and compare. It serves as a
benchmark against which an assessment could be conducted. Benchmarking is used in healthcare to enhance effectiveness, the
standard of healthcare, clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction. Examining guidelines, practices, and evidence-based processes, as
well as finding key areas for improvement, is a component of the method. Individual goals may be set for employees to help them
achieve a departmental or corporate goal. Whenever new procedures are established, the administration must choose how to monitor
performance in order to evaluate whether the benchmark criteria are being met (Rana et al., 2018).

On comparing these national benchmarks, it can be observed that MMC is unable to achieve the national benchmarks of foot exams
and A1c testing. The majority of the nurses at MMC are white nurses. According to CDC, a high ratio of diabetes is found to be among
black, Hispanic, and Latinos. And according to the dashboard, American Indians and African Americans are the second and third

highest rates of ethnicities who visit MMC. This difference in the socioeconomic factor can be seen as a challenge. It can be seen as a
challenge because the highest ratio of the white population is reported in Shakopee. Whereas other races including black, African, and
Hispanic make up 43% of the population of the area. If there is no diversity in the nursing staff, there may be cultural, language, and
ethnic barriers (AHRQ, 2022). For effective communication and overcoming language barriers, nurses from different races and
ethnicities should be on board. Irrespective of the healthcare setting or specialization, communication is found to be the most crucial
feature of care delivery and a crucial part of a nurse’s professional conduct (Ali & Watson, 2018). The largest challenges to providing
appropriate, ethical, effective, and timely treatment to individuals with inadequate speaking proficiency have been recognized as
linguistic impediments. The hiring of trained nurses in this scenario is regarded as useful.

Another strategy healthcare facilities can implement is the use of technologies that can do the translations of different languages.
This way, the nursing staff will be able to communicate to the patient regarding their condition and the patient can effectively
communicate in detail regarding their symptoms or the problems they are facing.

NURS FPX 6004 Assessment 1 Dashboard Benchmark Evaluation

Underperformance of Benchmark

Assessing the dashboard metrics based on quarterly MCC and comparing it with the national benchmarks for diabetes outlined by
AHQR showed some underperforming areas. The decline in the performance of HgbA1c tests is evident in comparing 2018 to 2019 ..
Non-compliance to this benchmark can cause a higher number of diabetes cases to remain undiagnosed. As in the initial stages,
diabetes does not show any symptoms that can signal the development of T2D. But on checking the levels of A1c, a diagnosis of pre-
diabetes can be made (Lam & Lee, 2021). The challenge of compliance with A1c testing can be seen regarding the diversity of the
nurses on board. In case of non-compliance, a higher number of late diagnoses of diabetes will occur in the hospital increased the
number of hospital stays and readmission not only causing work strain on healthcare providers but the strain of financial costs on
patients as well. It will also impact the ranking of the MMC in Minnesota. According to AHRQ reports, the occurrence of diabetes is
high along with cardiovascular and renal issues. As the most common comorbidities linked to diabetes are heart problems and kidney
failures (AHQR, 2020). According to CDC, Adult diabetes patients had hypertension in sixty-nine percent of cases and excessive
cholesterol in forty-four percent of cases. Thirty-nine percent had severe kidney illness, and twelve percent had impaired vision or loss

of sight. To overcome the health disparities and health inequity, Affordable Care Act (ACA), also provide healthcare coverage to people
irrespective of their race, ethnicity, and sex as long as they follow the requirements of receiving Medicaid or Medicare. They provide
health insurance for people who do not have one as the medical tests would cause a financial burden on people. using Medicare,
people can get their HgbA1c tests to check for signs of pre-diabetes. A diabetes scan remains undiagnosed for a very long because it
does not show any early signs. This policy will help in conducting tests for people and diagnosing diabetes among people in its early
stages before leading to complications. As it will not only help patients with their healthcare costs but will also lead to better self-
management along with less burden on the healthcare sector (Present et al., 2019).

To increase the frequency of HgbA1c tests in MCC, partnering with the stakeholders can also be fruitful. Effective communication and
knowledge regarding the problem will help in overcoming socioeconomic problems. Interprofessional collaboration in the healthcare
facility can aid in A1c compliance. It will also help in identifying the reasons for the underperformance of a healthcare facility that can
be managed and effectively solved through interprofessional collaboration. Policies imposed by local and federal administrations will
also help with following the benchmarks along with overcoming the financial problem or lack of resources. Political measures can be
concentrated on all levels with collaborative policy creation in a range of techniques, all of which will include a mechanism for
formulating and compliance with applicable laws, or procedures, as well as task allocation for their implementation (Bong, 2019).

The strategy to follow compliance will need the cooperation of stakeholders, hiring nurses from minority groups, implementation of
local and national policies, and involving interprofessional collaboration in the healthcare facility. This can help in overcoming
underperformance and detecting pre-diabetes among patients before the condition leads to complications. Early detection will help in
managing diabetes effectively, nurses must also communicate with the patient to increase their knowledge and awareness regarding
diabetes. It will help in limiting the healthcare costs for the patient along with minimizing the prevalence of diabetes in Minnesota.