Frequently Asked Questions

Why did we start Greystone.Net Benchmarking?

We find that hospitals and health systems are often searching for answers about how their Web sites compare to their peers and nationally. For example, they often ask us:

• Is our Web budget normal for a hospital our size?
• Is our Web site traffic good or bad compared to our peers?
• How do other hospitals deal with all of the requests to update or create Web pages on the site? How do they deal with the politics?
• Where does the Web report to in other hospitals or health systems?
• What are the best practices for selected features and content on the Web …. and how are they doing it?

Greystone.Net felt that creating a standardized questionnaire and database would provide participants with access to resources that could help answer some of these questions. We created Greystone.Net Benchmarking with the thought that this would be a community where participants could learn from each other.

How long has Greystone been doing this?

Greystone.Net started the Benchmarking project in January 2002 with a group of "pilot clients". Our goals were to test the concepts, the questionnaire, and the reports with a pilot group and make changes based on their feedback. Benchmarking was then rolled out to all hospitals and healthcare systems during the second quarter of 2002.

How many are currently in the database?

The first group of participants in Greystone.Net Benchmarking included sixteen hospitals and healthcare systems and was comprised of three peer groups. Since then, the database has grown significantly each quarter.

How many are in my peer group?

Each peer group is unique, but in order to ensure confidentiality each group contains at least five members. Currently, peer groups are created based on input from our client participants. In the near future, we will allow participants to create customized peer groups based on selected variables with our new online reporting capabilities.

Is Greystone.Net Benchmarking online?

Yes, all of Greystone.Net Benchmarking is online. Participants are given a username and password to login and complete their survey, retrieve reports, and participate in the Knowledge Exchange.

You can check on our progress with Greystone.Net Benchmarking online at: http://www.benchmark.greystone.net.

How do you ensure confidentiality?

Benchmarking reports show your hospital in comparison to aggregated data for your peer group and the national group. Aside from the name of your hospital on your own report, client names or identities are not reported anywhere in the documentation. Our peer groups are always intentionally kept large enough so that it would be impossible to tease out data that might identify a particular institution.

I'm interested. How can I learn more or sign up?

We look forward to your participation in Greystone.Net Benchmarking. Contact us for more information or to sign up.