Balanced scorecard: application in the General Panarcadian Hospital of Tripolis, Greece

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the application of the balanced scorecard (BSC) in the Greek public health sector. Design/methodology/approach - The basic balanced scorecard theory has been adopted in the characteristics and individualities of the Greek public health system. The theoretical model developed was applied in the General Panarcadian Hospital of Tripolis (GPHT) in Greece. GPHT is a representative paradigm of a big regional Greek public hospital. It has about 300 beds and many clinics and specialties (internal medicine, cardiology, general surgery, intensive care unit, artificial kidney unit, etc.). Strategic management was performed for almost three years. The BSC model was formulated in an appropriate software program. The problems (both technical and managerial) faced during a three-year period along with the results of this management approach are presented in the current paper. The paper highlights some important gaps in the Greek public health system, while proposing actions to be taken. Findings - The BSC theory can be very successful under certain conditions. Originality/value - Special attention is given to the peculiarities of the Greek public health situation. The paper presents for the first time a real life example of applying BSC in the Greek public health sector.