TORONTO (December 8, 2011) — After four years of improvements to its Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio (HSMR), which was once considered the worst in the GTA, The Scarborough Hospital is today posting Toronto’s best corporate HSMR results.

In a report released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, TSH has posted a 2010-11 HSMR score of 75—a dramatic improvement over the 122 reported in 2007, the year rates were first publicly released. The national benchmark is 100—scores lower than that indicate mortality rates are below hospitals’ national experience.

HSMR is considered a “big-dot” summary measure that is used to track a hospital’s mortality over time. The HSMR is a tool that allows hospitals to measure and monitor their progress in quality of care.

“I am extremely proud of our staff and physicians, whose focus on improving patient safety and quality of care has shown measurable results over the past several years,” says Dr. John Wright, President and CEO of The Scarborough Hospital. “Our goal was to become one of the GTA’s top performers, and our results today show we have done just that.”

Still, Dr. Wright says going from worst to first is just the beginning.

“Maintaining a strong HSMR result and improving our quality and data accuracy even further remains a priority for us,” he says. “Our commitment to patient-centred care means we are constantly looking for ways to improve, and HSMR is just one way we are able to show our tremendous progress.”

The Scarborough Hospital’s HSMR results over time are available on our website at http://www.tsh.to/pages/HSMR.