Profiles for the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the hospital financial information system

Abstract

Introduction: To increase the efficiency and effectiveness of financial information systems, track financial status over time, and compare current performance with optimal state, organizations require to determine the key performance indicators (KPIs). This is of greater importance for hospitals as healthcare service providers, which in our country often face financial challenges. This study was conducted to formulate profiles for the KPIs of financial information system. Methods: This applied research was carried out using a qualitative method in four phases: reviewing the literature, conducting semi-structured interviews with financial experts, forming a panel of financial experts, and developing KPI profiles for the financial information system, including the definition, calculation formula, and indictor norms). Results: Following the research phases, 36 indicators were identified, which were classified into three areas, costs, income, and productivity. The highest number of indicators were related to the cost, while productivity had the fewest indicators. Conclusion: The developed profile for each indicator makes it possible to achieve a shared understanding of their concepts and provide a standardized calculation process, facilitating communication between experts and non-experts. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s); Published by Iran University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source.