Performance Dashboard Tool

Customer focus is a key part of an organization’s performance management system. The purpose of these indicators is to assess the health department’s engagement with seeking customer feedback and responsiveness to customer concerns.

• CS 1: Proportion of health department programs conducting a systematic process to assess external customer satisfaction
• CS 2: Proportion of health department programs conducting a systematic process to assess external complaints
• CS 3: Average number of business days required for health department to respond to customer complaints
• CS 4: Proportion of health department systemic issues identified through customer complaints

Sound financial practices are basic to any organization and enhance the health department’s ability to manage resources wisely, to analyze present and future needs, and to sustain operations. Health departments are accountable to their governing entity, elected officials, and the public they serve for the responsible oversight of public funds. This focus area includes indicators that measure the capacity of the health department to manage the organization’s finances.

• FM 1: Annual health department organizational expenditures
• FM 2: Annual health department organizational revenue
• FM 3: Proportion of invoices paid on time according to established health department policy
• FM 4: Proportion of purchase requests processed on time according to established health department policy

The longer it takes to initiate, execute, and finalize a grant or contract, the more resources must be allocated to the process itself. This focus area includes indicators that assess the health department’s ability to manage grants and contracts, and measures the efficiency and timeliness of the health department’s grants/contracting practices.

• GC 1: Proportion of contracts executed on time according to established health department policy

Effective public health practice requires a well-prepared workforce. Maintaining a competent public health workforce requires a supply of trained and qualified public health workers sufficient to meet the needs of public health departments. Staff job duties and performance should be regularly reviewed to note accomplishments and areas that need improvement. This should not be a punitive process but one that identifies needs for employee training or education. This focus area contains measures that provide data to assess the efficiency of the hiring process and the experience, satisfaction, and retention of a health department’s workforce.

• HC 1: Proportion of authorized health department staff employment positions filled
• HC 2: Proportion of health department managers and supervisors who have completed a leadership training within the past year
• HC 3: Proportion of health department staff who have formal training in their area of work
• HC 4: Proportion of health department employees with 0-3, 4-9, 10-24, and 25+ years of experience
• HC 5: Average number of days from health department job requisition to hired employee start date
• HC 6: Proportion of health department employees who rate their overall level of job satisfaction as "very satisfied" or "satisfied"
• HC 7: Proportion of health department staff who engage in career development and/or skills building activities
• HC 8: Proportion of health department employees leaving the agency
• HC 9: Proportion of health department employee performance evaluations complete on-time

Health departments should present information to different audiences through a variety of methods, including information technology. The purpose of this indicator focus area is to demonstrate the capacity of the health department to assess their internal response for IT issues and determine which health departments have a plan to build advance the health department’s infrastructure.

• IST 1: Average number of days to resolve internal health department helpdesk tickets
• IST 2: Development of state public health department Information Technology Strategic Plan

For the health department to most effectively and efficiently improve the health of the population, it is important to monitor the quality of performance of public health processes, programs, interventions and other activities. Process improvement requires the regular use of quality improvement approaches, methods, tools and techniques, as well as application of lessons learned from evaluation. The indicators in this focus area provide information on the extent to which health departments are implementing strategies for process improvement.

• PI 1: Proportion of health department programs using evaluation methods to improve program outcomes
• PI 2: Proportion of health department programs using a proven Quality Improvement (QI) model

Assessing the quality and reach of health department programs is critical to understanding how well the health department is executing activities and directly relates to how well the community is being served. Health improvement efforts will also be most effective if the community has contributed to the dialogue, deliberated on the options and alternatives, and taken ownership of the decisions. Collaboration develops a sense of shared responsibility, leads to better coordination of the use of resources, and provides the health department with various perspectives and additional expertise.  Evidence-based approaches and programs provide a foundation of proven interventions and activities to achieve the highest impact for positive population health changes. This focus area includes indicators that assess the extent to which health departments establish and maintain partnerships (internally and within the community) and utilizes best practices (i.e., performance targets/measures, evidence-based interventions).

• PD 1: Proportion of health department programs utilizing performance targets for continuous program improvement
• PD 2: Proportion of health department programs utilizing performance measures for continuous program improvement
• PD 3: Proportion of health department programs that are currently implementing evidence-based interventions
• PD 4: Proportion of health department programs that have internal partnerships
• PD 5: Proportion of health department programs that have external partnerships

A health department has access to a wealth of data, either created by the department or collected from others. To use this data effectively, the health department must maintain a system that provides the ability to process and manage information. This focus area includes indicators that measure the capacity of the health department to accurately maintain information and process information requests.

• VSSR 1: Proportion of health department birth certificates filed electronically
• VSSR 2: Proportion of health department death certificates filed electronically
• VSSR 3: Average number of days for health department staff to process citizen’s vital statistics records through any means of request