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Steve Linders, 612-863-4801

Abbott Northwestern Hospital named one of the nation's top cardiovascular hospitals by Thomson Healthcare

MINNEAPOLIS 11/19/2007--Abbott Northwestern Hospital has been named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals® for cardiovascular care by Thomson Healthcare.

The annual Thomson Healthcare award is based on hospitals' performance treating congestive heart failure and heart attacks. This is the seventh time since 1999 that Abbott Northwestern has been recognized with this honor. The 2007 winners were announced November 19 in Modern Healthcare magazine.

"These winning hospitals bring great value to their communities," said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs in the Center for Healthcare Improvement, Thomson Healthcare. "They have set national benchmarks for clinical process, outcomes, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness."

Among the key findings from the 2007 Thomson 100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success study:

• If all cardiovascular hospitals achieved the same results as the 100 Top Hospitals award winners, more than 7,000 lives would be saved and nearly 750 medical complications would be avoided annually.
• The award winners reported hospital stays that were 12 percent shorter, on average, than peer hospitals (5.14 days compared with 5.85 days).
• The 100 Top Hospitals reported costs that averaged 13 percent — or about $2,000 — less per case than peer hospitals.
• There was a large difference in the volume of heart procedures performed by the winning hospitals and their peers. The 100 Top Hospitals performed nearly two-thirds more coronary artery bypass grafts and percutaneous coronary interventions such as angioplasty.

"This recognition is a testament to our skilled physicians and caring staff, our use of the latest treatments and technologies, and the exceptional care we provide to patients," said Jeffery D. Peterson, Abbott Northwestern's president. "We are proud to once again be recognized as of the nation's top cardiovascular hospitals."

Abbott Northwestern Hospital, in conjunction with the Minneapolis Heart Institute, is recognized internationally as one of the world's leading heart hospitals. The Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital combines the finest in personalized patient care with sophisticated technology in a unique, family-oriented environment. The institute's programs address the full range of heart-health needs: prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.

Thomson Healthcare scored facilities in eight key performance areas: risk-adjusted medical mortality, risk-adjusted surgical mortality, risk-adjusted complications, core measures score, percentage of CABG patients with internal mammary artery use, procedure volume, severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage- and severity-adjusted average cost.

The measures were calculated for three classes of hospitals with the following number of winners in each:

• teaching with cardiovascular residency programs, 30 winners
• teaching without cardiovascular residency programs, 40 winners
• community, 30 winners.

More information on this study and other 100 Top Hospitals research is available at www.100tohospitals.com. Copies of the 100 Top Hospitals report can be purchased by calling Thomson Healthcare at (800) 568-3282 or logging on to www.100tophospitals.com.

About Abbott Northwestern Hospital

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 is found online at www.abbottnorthwestern.com.

About Thomson Healthcare

Thomson Healthcare is the leading provider of decision support solutions that help organizations across the healthcare industry improve clinical and business performance. Thomson Healthcare products and services help clinicians, hospitals, employers, health plans, government agencies, and pharmaceutical companies manage the cost and improve the quality of healthcare.

Thomson Healthcare is a part of The Thomson Corporation, a provider of value-added information, software tools and applications to professionals in the fields of healthcare, law, tax, accounting, scientific research, and financial services. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). For more information, visit www.thomsonhealthcare.com.