For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Tim Burke, 651-241-8943

Allina's Abbott Northwestern Hospital named one of 'America's Best' by U.S. News & World Report

MINNEAPOLIS 07/16/2009--U.S. News & World Report today released its annual ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." Once again, Abbott Northwestern Hospital is scored among the nation's top hospitals, ranking in five categories where hospital quality is measured by reputation, mortality data and other care related factors:

• #33 in Digestive Disorders
• #49 in Geriatric Care
• #38 in Heart and Heart Surgery
• #31 in Neurology and Neurosurgery
• #36 in Orthopedics

This is the 20th year U.S. News & World Report has published the list, which identifies hospitals that excel at treating serious illnesses using complex procedures and the latest technology. Only 174 of the 4,861 medical centers evaluated nationwide even met the standards for excellence necessary to be considered for the rankings.

"When the stakes are high, you want the best care you can get for someone close to you," said Avery Comarow, U.S. News & World Report health rankings editor. "These are hospitals that are used to getting the sickest patients."

In 'America's Best' since 2002

Abbott Northwestern Hospital has been included in the "America's Best Hospitals" listings since 2002.

"It's rewarding to be included in these rankings, which are a testament to our physicians and employees and the exceptional care and service they provide to patients and their families," said Jeffrey D. Peterson, Abbott Northwestern's president. "We're pleased to be recognized on a national level and honored that so many patients and families entrust us with their care."

"Because Abbott Northwestern is part of Allina, patients from communities like Owatonna, New Ulm, Shakopee, Cambridge, Buffalo and River Falls, Wisconsin all have access to its exceptional care," said Penny Wheeler, MD, Allina's chief medical officer. "Through Allina's integrated electronic medical record system, our close partnerships between hospitals, and the replication of Abbott Northwestern clinical programs at other Allina facilities, the expertise of one of America's Best Hospitals is serving more patients than ever."

'America's Best Hospitals' eligibility

Hospitals have to pass through several gates in order to be ranked and considered a Best Hospital:

1. The first gate determines whether a hospital is eligible to be ranked at all by requiring that it must meet any of three conditions: be a teaching hospital; have at least 200 beds; or have at least 100 beds plus at least four out of eight key medical technologies such as current-generation CT scanners and precision radiation therapy.
2. The second gate determines whether a hospital is eligible to be ranked in a particular specialty. To be eligible, the hospital had to either have at least a specified volume of certain procedures and conditions over three years, or had to have been nominated by at least one physician in the last three years of our annual specialist survey.
3. The third gate is whether a hospital does well enough to be ranked, based on its reputation, death rate, patient safety, and factors like nurse staffing and technology.

More information about "America's Best Hospitals" is available by visiting www.usnews.com.

About Allina's Abbott Northwestern Hospital

Abbott Northwestern Hospital is part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a not-for-profit health care system of hospitals, clinics and other patient care services that provides exceptional care to communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin and employs more than 22,000 people.

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