You are here: About Allina > Newsroom > Abbott Northwestern News Releases

For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Jennifer Syltie Johnson, 612-863-4801, pager 651-654-7488

Abbott Northwestern and United hospitals named to America's 50 Top Hospitals list by AARP

MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, Minn 03/28/2002--Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis and United Hospital in St. Paul are included in the top 50 hospitals in America list published in  AARP Modern Maturity's May/June 2002 issue.

The report is based off a study by Consumers' Checkbook, a Washington, DC, nonprofit consumer education organization. Consumers' Checkbook rated the quality of care for adults at acute care hospitals in major metropolitan areas in the U.S. Researchers surveyed more than 20,000 physicians and analyzed statistics from federal records and accreditation scores to rank 1,308 hospitals nationwide.

The final list of 50 was selected by employing a formula including:

• Physicians ratings – percentage of surveyed doctors rating a hospital "very good" or "excellent" for high-risk adult surgery
• Mortality rates - for various types of medical and surgical cases. The percentage of Medicare patients (admitted between October 1996 – September 1999 who died within 30 days of being admitted to the hospital – adjusted to take into account hospital-to-hospital differences in age, diagnoses, and other characteristics
• Accreditation score – rating given by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; reflects the hospital's performance on an inspection and review of standards
• Training – Extent of a training that a hospital provides for physicians based on the medical school affiliations and number of residents on staff

Abbott Northwestern Hospital is ranked 26th on the list and United Hospital is ranked 48th.

"Choosing a hospital that will meet your needs during a health crisis can be one of the most important decisions of your life," said Hugh Delehanty, editorial director for  AARP Modern Maturity. "We wanted to provide consumers with reliable, unbiased information that will improve their ability to make these decisions."

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people 50 and over.  AARP Modern Maturity is America's largest circulation magazine. The magazine's Web site at www.aarpmagazine.org features the entire top 50 hospitals list and tips on selecting a hospital.

Minneapolis-based Abbott Northwestern Hospital and St. Paul-based United Hospital are part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a non-profit network of hospitals, clinics and other health care services. Abbott Northwestern is found online at   www.abbottnorthwestern.com , United Hospital is found online at  www.unitedhospital.com and the latest health information is at  www.allina.com.

Related Links

Allina Hospitals & Clinics: Awards and recognitions

Allina hospitals