In our efforts to become a high reliability organization (HRO), we are determined to implement proven processes to make sure a patient’s hospital stay goes smoothly, even when situations become more complex.
Inpatient mortality is defined as a patient death during their hospital stay. Penn Medicine measures mortality rate to identify areas of improvement for safer patient care and better outcomes.
How does Penn Medicine perform?
To be more transparent about how Penn Medicine is performing compared with health systems across the country, we will regularly share reports on hospital mortality rates.
We follow the Vizient® method of reporting on the rate at which people pass away during a stay in our hospitals. Vizient's data compares the actual number of deaths to what they would expect based on the latest risk models. These models consider things like the patient's demographics, what diseases or conditions they have, and other factors. Over the past three years, all of Penn Medicine’s hospitals met or did better than the Vizient average for in-hospital mortality.
The following Penn Medicine hospitals use the academic medical center risk model:
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
- Lancaster General Health
- Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
The following Penn Medicine hospitals use the community risk model:
- Chester County Hospital
- Pennsylvania Hospital
- Princeton Medical Center
The information below shows how Penn Medicine hospitals compared with Vizient’s average in-hospital mortality rates in its academic medical center or community risk models.
Chester County Hospital
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Pennsylvania Hospital
Lancaster General Hospital
Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center
Chester County Hospital
In-Hospital Mortality 
A lower number is better because it means there were fewer deaths than expected.
Why is mortality rate important?
Inpatient mortality rates can reflect the level of care provided within a hospital setting. A higher mortality rate can mean that patients are not receiving safe and efficient care during their hospital stay. A higher mortality rate can also be expected in hospitals that care for a large percentage of patients with multiple or advanced diseases or conditions.
This information, along with other resources, can help individuals compare hospitals locally and nationally to make informed decisions on where to receive care.