AbstractThis paper presents an innovative method of measuring and assessing financial performance for hospitals using data envelopment analysis (DEA). A 6% national sample of acute care hospitals was used to compare conventional ratio analysis with the financial performance index (FPI), an aggregate measure of financial performance, developed in this study. The results showed that FPI has captured what various financial ratios indicate independently. The development of a FPI across many financial ratios eases the comparison of an individual hospital with its peers. Development and uses of a FPI can also be applied to other industries.