Dr Foster Intelligence launches tool for understanding of HSMR

Dr Foster Intelligence has announced the launch of a new informatics tool that enables medical staff to understand the new summary hospital-level mortality indicator (SHMI) and how it is comparable to the hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR).

The Mortality Comparator tool, which launched on the same day as the new SHMI was published on NHS Choices (October 27th), aims to help hospital trusts better their knowledge of the measure and its relationship with the HSMR.

Available to all users of Dr Foster's Real Time Monitoring tool, the Mortality Comparator does not take palliative care into account, as well as focusing on all diagnosis groups, while the HSMR focuses on 56 groups only.

The tool enables users to investigate and understand the new indicator, while providing a detailed comparison with the HSMR and the summaries published by the NHS Information Centre.

Earlier this year, a report sponsored by Dr Foster Intelligence called for intelligent clinical commissioning and the efficient use of information in practice by board members of clinical commissioning groups.