The use of the balanced scorecard in the evaluation of performance and its application in a health institution

The Balanced Scorecard technique as a management vehicle which rationally gives way to evaluate the present and future strategies and performances of the organization on a basis of scientific data makes it possible to define areas where the hospitals are strong and hospital performance is needed to be developed. Health institutions will be able to define their performance targets more rationally according to their data. They will also manage to direct their future prospects alongside with this information. This research aims to determine the availability of the balanced scorecard system in the performance evaluation of health institutions and thus to determine the hospital performance.This research has been made in an educational and training hospital in İzmir. Primary and secondary data have been collected related to the purpose of the research. A scale based upon the balanced scorecard technique on both workers and patients has been used. The workers? and patients? perceptions about the Balanced Scorecard about performance evaluation have been measured with five-likert type scale. The financial tables provided by the hospital constitute the secondary data, validity and reliability analyses have been applied. Defining statistics, t-test and ANOVA test have been made then.It has been seen that there are some differences in the answers according to sex, duty and the years which have been worked. When the data of the scale applied on workers are studied, it has been seen that there is no difference in the demographic features. As a result, it has been shown that performance evaluation can be made by using the Balanced Scorecard technique. With this measurement method both workers? and patients? main focus areas have been determined. Thus, new findings to lead the new studies in the development of hospitals are acquired. Especially some decisive results have been put down in the decision-making process of the management. Since the perceptions about hospital performance are changed due to demographic features, it is needed to make he necessary changes by taking these differences into consideration.Key Words: Performance, Balanced Scorecard, Hospital