The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) released its annual report on the latest hospital mortality data – 2012 HSMR Results. The hospital standardized mortality ratio (HSMR) compares the number of deaths in a hospital with the 2009–2010 national average (after adjusting for differences in the types of patients in a facility), which is represented by the number 100. A score greater than 100 suggests an above-average rate, while a score lower than 100 suggests a below-average rate.
The HSMR is a performance indicator that hospitals in Canada have been using for many years to monitor changes over time and identify areas for improvement.