The present study aimed to initiate facility based review of maternal deaths and near misses as part of the Ethiopian effort to reduce maternal mortality and achieve United Nations Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. An in-depth review of all maternal deaths and near misses among women who visited 10 hospitals in four regions of Ethiopia was conducted between May 2011 and October 2012 as part of the FIGO LOGIC initiative. During the study period, a total of 2774 cases (206 deaths and 2568 near misses) were reviewed. The ratio of maternal deaths to near misses was 1:12 and the overall maternal death rate was 728 per 100 000 live births. Socioeconomic factors associated with maternal mortality included illiteracy 1672 (60.3%) and lack of employment outside the home 2098 (75.6%). In all, 1946 (70.2%) women arrived at hospital after they had developed serious complications owing to issues such as lack of transportation. Only 1223 (44.1%) women received prenatal follow-up and 157 (76.2%) deaths were attributed to direct obstetric causes. Based on the findings, facilities adopted a number of quality improvement measures such as providing 24-hour services, and making ambulances available. Integrating review of maternal deaths and near misses into regular practice provides accurate information on causes of maternal deaths and near misses and also improves quality of care in facilities.