Abbott Northwestern Hospital achieves Magnet® Recognition again

MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 13, 2025) — Abbott Northwestern Hospital attained Magnet recognition again for the fourth time in December 2024, a testament to its continued dedication to high-quality nursing practice. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes health care organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence. This credential is the highest national honor for professional nursing practice.  
 
Receiving Magnet recognition is a great achievement for Abbott Northwestern, as it continues to proudly belong to the global Magnet community – a small, select group of health care organizations and hospitals.  
 
“Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to our community,” said Carol Koeppel-Olsen, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, vice president, patient care services and chief nursing officer at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. “To earn Magnet recognition is a great accomplishment and an incredible source of pride for our nurses. Our repeated achievement of this credential underscores the foundation of excellence and values that drive our entire staff to strive harder each day to meet the health care needs of the people we serve.”  
 
Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities, such as:  

• Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information.
• Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates. 
• Higher job satisfaction among nurses.  

Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence and is a factor when the public judges health care organizations. U.S. News & World Report’s annual showcase of “America’s Best Hospitals” includes Magnet recognition in its ranking criteria for quality of inpatient care.  
 
To achieve Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands widespread participation from leadership and staff. This process includes an electronic application, written patient care documentation, an on-site visit, and a review by the Commission on Magnet Recognition.  
 
Health care organizations must reapply for Magnet recognition every four years based on adherence to Magnet concepts and demonstrated improvements in patient care and quality. An organization reapplying for Magnet recognition must provide documented evidence to demonstrate how staff members sustained and improved Magnet concepts, performance and quality over the four-year period since the organization received its most recent recognition.  
 
“We’re a better organization today because of the Magnet recognition we first achieved in 2009,” said David Joos, president of Abbott Northwestern Hospital. “Magnet recognition raised the bar for patient care and inspired every member of our team to achieve excellence every day. It is this commitment to providing our community with high-quality care that helped us become a Magnet-recognized organization, and it’s why we continue to pursue and maintain Magnet recognition.”  

Allina Health is a nonprofit health care system serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin, dedicated to preventing and treating illness and improving the health of individuals, families, and communities. Through a network of more than 90 clinics, 12 hospital campuses, 13 retail pharmacies, specialty care centers, home care, and emergency medical transportation, Allina Health provides high-quality care from birth through end-of-life.  

At the forefront of Allina Health’s mission are its Institutes, which offer nationally recognized experts and advanced care in key specialties:  

• Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute – A leader in cardiovascular innovation, research, and care delivery through clinical trials, publications, and training 4,000+ providers annually, it is consistently rated ‘High Performing’ by U.S. News & World Report.  
• Allina Health Cancer Institute – Providing comprehensive, personalized and innovative oncology care across the full cancer journey, delivered at ten locations – including its three largest hospitals which U.S. News & World Report consistently rates “High Performing” in multiple oncology specialties.  
• Allina Health Neuroscience, Spine and Pain Institute – Offering advanced neurological and spine care, including two nationally accredited stroke centers, innovative focused ultrasound treatment for essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson's and a chronic pain rehabilitation program – one of only two in Minnesota.  

Together, these Institutes exemplify Allina Health’s commitment to clinical excellence, innovation, and compassionate care. Learn more at allinahealth.org and join us on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Abbott Northwestern Hospital, part of Allina Health, is the largest private hospital in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota. Abbott Northwestern Hospital is nationally and locally recognized for its clinically distinctive programs in oncology, cardiovascular and neurology and its exceptional expertise and care. Each year, the hospital serves more than 200,000 patients and their families from across the Twin Cities and upper Midwest.