Standardised mortality ratios as a user-friendly performance metric and trigger for quality improvement in a Flemish hospital network: multicentre retrospective study

Objective To illustrate the development and use of standardised mortality rates (SMRs) as a trigger for quality improvement in a network of 27 hospitals. Design This research was a retrospective observational study. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. SMRs were calculated for All Patient Refined—Diagnosis-Related Groups (APR-DRGs) that reflect 80% of the Flemish hospital network mortality. Hospital mortality was modelled using...