Straight talk new approaches in healthcare. Performance management: assuring your financial and performance goals are met.

Performance management is a topic thrown around a lot in executive suites, but its key tenets are sometimes misunderstood. To be successful, performance management involves setting strategy at the board and executive levels and making day-to-day decisions at the line-manager level. But the process won't work unless those line managers have clearly defined goals to achieve as well as relevant reliable and timely information to assist them in monitoring their performance and making operational decisions to improve outcomes. Modern Healthcare and Pricewaterhouse Coopers present Straight Talk in the tenth installment of Straight Talk we discuss the steps necessary to build a successful performance-management program. The session was held at Modern Healthcare's Chicago head-quarters on January 7, 2003. Charles S. Lauer, publisher of Modern Healthcare, was the moderator.