Define "benchmarking" in healthcare.

Benchmarking in healthcare refers to the practice of comparing processes, outcomes, or costs to best practices or standards in the industry. This process enables organizations to identify areas for improvement by evaluating their performance against established benchmarks set by leading organizations or industry standards. It is a critical tool that helps healthcare providers understand their position relative to peers, promote continuous improvement, and ultimately enhance patient care and operational efficiency. By focusing on measurable metrics and best practices, benchmarking helps healthcare organizations adopt strategies that are known to lead to superior performance, thus fostering a culture of quality and accountability throughout the healthcare system.

The other options describe different aspects of healthcare quality and performance management but do not accurately capture the essence of benchmarking. For instance, establishing patient care protocols, reviewing individual provider performance, and counting patient admissions each focus on specific operational elements or performance metrics rather than the comparative analysis central to benchmarking.