The complexity of performance appraisal: A case study on physician performance appraisal

This thesis discusses the complexity of performance appraisal with a case study on physician performance appraisal. Based on a large amount literature review, it explains why performance appraisal is complicated. In order to display the complicity with a real case, this paper uses the case study of physician performance measurement to show the difficulty results from multiple purposes, stakeholders, measures and measurements. With a focus study on St. Francis Medical Center, it further demonstrates the complexity in the implementation and operation of performance measurement. It concludes that performance appraisal is complicated it is useful and workable. There three aspects that people should work on. First, greater links need to be established so that performance appraisal can effectively indicate the performance and suggest performance improvement. Second, investment of information technology is needed to operate and develop performance appraisal. Lastly, unifying measures and measurements among similar organizations or programs are important to expand the utility of performance appraisal