Developing a performance management system: Lessons learned in a local health department

At the La Crosse County Health Department becoming (PHAB) accredited is a primary goal of the health officer, the health and human services board, and the county administrator. Efforts have been in place since 2010 to become accredited. Early on in the accreditation process, a department self-assessment was completed by division managers to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the department. It was determined the health department needed to invest resources in the development of a performance management system. There are four components in a performance management system and they are as follows: identifying standards, measuring the standards, reporting the progress of the standards, and the quality improvement process. The poster will provide an overview of the department's timeline in initiating, developing, and implementing a performance management system, the tool used to measure and track the department's identified standards, and the plan in place for creating and sustaining a culture of performance management. The poster will also identify lessons learned in developing and implementing a performance management system (just jump in---you have to start somewhere, it is okay to make mistakes, and be flexible in implementing the system as there is a lot to learn). The poster will list barriers (buy-in from staff, training needs, funding, and terminology discrepancies) encountered as well as successes (development of tracking tool, first team quality improvement project completed, piloting a public health nursing division specific performance measurement tracking log) achieved within the department.