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Benchmarking is a method of comparing internal activity to a set of standards or best practices that may come from an internal or external source in order to allow assessment for continuous performance improvement. A. Please explain at least 3 advantages of utilizing benchmarks. The variables used in reporting such as statistic when used to utilized and service delivery in the health care organization. Also may be used to compare with other health care organizations too. It's a way of comparing the inflow and outflow of revenues .Also have to note that this showing the spending gaps within the organizations accounting practices. To summarize, it is the comparative method that allows an overview of the individual organization 's indicators of spending, the in and out flows of moneys (Baker J.J., 2011). B. Please choose at least three sources that can be used as benchmarks or sources for benchmarks; and the advantages and disadvantages associated with each. 1) Disease - Adjusted Financial Benchmark - For each adjusted Benchmark it is multiplied by the agency's financial indicator for the primary diagnosis by the percentage of the corresponding local market primary diagnosis group assigned (n.d.). In Heath Care Market Resources. Retrieved March 25, 2011). The advantage of this way of benchmarking is that it shows the how effective the diagnosis is for the disease. 2) Benchmarking in the mental health care services, the best practices to use to benchmark here is by the valuable method which is a development of practice. But it is noted that benchmarking is not a process supported by all staff members. Trusts implemented the benchmarks that are easier to quantify, such as those concerning nutrition, before considering those that are more complicated(McDonnell,J. 2010). Like the article states it maybe hard to use a benchmarking system, but the outcome usually is a benefit to patient care and experiences. 3) The use of benchmarking in productivity improvements in health care. The use of the methodology benchmarking in health care that is in the publicly funded health care agencies such as in this article treatment of alcohol abuse in the state of Maine. They are using a system that takes in the duration of the treatment by the differences in the effectiveness of treatment, cost of the treatment and the standards of who goes all the way thru the program or completion of the program or the effects of the treatment (Ackerberg, D. A., 2006). This is a experimental model being used for comparison of how different agencies would treat the same type of population. References McDonnell, J., & Jones, C. (2010). Benchmarking best practice in mental health care services. Nursing Management - UK, 16(10), 20-24. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. n.d.). In Heath Care Market Resources. Retrieved March 25, 2011). Ackerberg, D. A., Machado, M. P., & Riordan, M. H. (2006). Benchmarking for Productivity Improvement: A Health-Care Application. International Economic Review, 47(1), 161-201. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.