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For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Steve Linders, 612-863-4801; pager 612-654-7488

Abbott Northwestern Hospital Named in U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Hospitals 2006

MINNEAPOLIS 07/07/2006--Abbott Northwestern Hospital is cited as one of the nation's best hospitals in the 17th annual edition of U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals." Each year, the publication identifies hospitals that take on and excel at tough procedures and conditions. This year, 176 top medical centers are ranked--from a total of 5,189--in 16 clinical specialties.

Abbott Northwestern was ranked in the following:

• #24 in neurology and neurosurgery
• #40 in heart and heart surgery
• #40 in orthopedics

To be considered, a hospital first must satisfy one of three requirements: be a member of the Council of Teaching Hospitals, be affiliated with a medical school or have at least nine of 18 specified items of medical technology.

In each specialty, a hospital must perform a given number of procedures or had to be cited by at least one physician in the past three years of U.S. News surveys. These hospitals received a score that equally weighs reputation, mortality and a group of care-related factors such as nursing.

The score is based on:

• Reputation—as rated by board-certified physicians who were randomly selected and asked to list the five hospitals they feel are best in their specialty for difficult cases, without consideration of cost or location.
• Mortality—comparing the number of deaths of Medicare patients with specified conditions in 2002, 2003 and 2004 with the number expected.
• Other care-related factors—which depends on such quality-of-care measures as nurse-to-patient ratio and the number of key technologies available.

More information about the rankings is available by visiting http://www.usnews.com.

Note: The original rankings U.S. News & World Report were revised because of a data-processing error. Some hospitals now rank higher, others lower. Hospitals now ranked 51 or 52 in some specialties previously were among the top 50; they are still considered an America’s Best Hospital. Apparent ties are due to rounding. Terms are explained in the glossary.

Minneapolis-based Abbott Northwestern Hospital is part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a non-profit network of hospitals, clinics and other health care services. Abbott Northwestern Hospital and the Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation can be found online at www.abbottnorthwestern.com.

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