Mortality rates are one measure you should take into consideration when selecting a hospital. Before you choose where to get medical care, it can be helpful to compare mortality rates for patients similar to you, in terms of your diagnoses, your age group and risk factors. However, some statistics are more useful than others. The most reliable figures accurately take into account risk factors, such as diabetes and obesity, that can reduce some patients’ likelihood of survival.
There are many groups that track and report mortality, and several ways of measuring these rates. Here we provide risk-adjusted statistics from two well respected organizations, the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), an alliance of academic medical centers including Johns Hopkins, and U.S.News & World Report, which publishes an annual “best hospitals” issue every summer.
In a recent report by the UHC, The Johns Hopkins Hospital’s inpatient mortality numbers for 2007 were second-best out of 91 centers evaluated. In each risk category—low, medium and high—Hopkins’ mortality was less than expected. For mortality, lower rates are better.
In U.S.News’ mortality statistics, Hopkins Hospital also compares very favorably to other highly ranked medical centers in 12 specialties. In three of the past five “Best Hospitals” issues, our average mortality for these specialties was the lowest among top-ranked hospitals.
Click on the links below to learn about our mortality rates for different patient groups:
