The following hospital and health system rating and outlook changes and affirmations took place during the past week, starting with the most recent.
1. Moody's affirms Cullman Regional Medical Center's 'Ba1' bond rating
Moody's Investors Service affirmed the "Ba1" rating on Cullman (Ala.) RegionalMedicalCenter's series 2009A bonds, affecting $64 million in debt.
2. Moody's assigns 'A1' rating to Munson Healthcare's bonds
Moody's Investors Service assigned an "A1" rating to Traverse City, Mich.-based Munson Healthcare's $55.5 million of proposed series 2014A, B, and C fixed rate revenue bonds and affirmed the "A1" rating on the system's parity revenue bonds.
3. Moody's revises Willis-Knighton Medical Center's outlook to positive
Moody's Investors Service affirmed the "A2" bond rating assigned to Shreveport, La.-based Willis-Knighton Medical Center's $164.4 million of outstanding insured auction rate bonds and revised the hospital's outlook to positive from stable.
4. Moody's downgrades Bethesda Healthcare System's bond rating to 'Baa1'
Moody's Investors Service downgraded Boynton Beach, Fla.-based Bethesda Healthcare System's series 2010A fixed rate bonds to "Baa1" from "A3," affecting $130 million of debt.
5. Moody's affirms Presbyterian Healthcare Services' 'A3' bond rating
Moody's Investors Service affirmed Albuquerque, N.M.-based Presbyterian Healthcare Services' "A3" and "Aa3/VMIG1" ratings on $560 million of fixed rate and variable rate bonds.
6. Fitch assigns 'AA-' rating to Munson Healthcare's bonds
Fitch Ratings assigned an "AA-" rating to approximately $60 million of series 2014A/B/C revenue bonds issued to Traverse City, Mich.-based Munson Healthcare by the Grand Traverse County Hospital Finance Authority.
7. Moody's affirms Southeast Georgia Health System's 'A2' bond rating
Moody's Investors Service affirmed Brunswick, Ga.-based Southeast Georgia Health System's "A2" bond rating, which affects approximately $154.4 million in outstanding bonds, which were issued through the Glynn-Brunswick Memorial Hospital Authority.
8. Moody's upgrades Barnabas Health's bond rating to 'A3'
Moody's Investors Service upgraded the rating on $996 million of West Orange, N.J.-based Barnabas Health's debt to "A3" from "Baa1."
9. Moody's affirms Peninsula Regional Medical Center's 'A2' bond rating
Moody's Investors Service affirmed Salisbury, Md.-based Peninsula Regional Medical Center's "A2" bond rating and revised the rating outlook from negative to stable.
10. Fitch assigns 'BBB' rating to Erlanger Health System's bonds
Fitch Ratings has assigned a "BBB" rating to approximately $148.4 million of series 2014A revenue and refunding bonds issued on behalf of Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System.
11. Fitch affirms St. Luke's Episcopal-Presbyterian Hospitals 'A+' rating
Fitch Ratings affirmed the "A+" rating assigned to Chesterfield, Mo.-based St. Luke's Episcopal-Presbyterian Hospitals' series 2011 and 2006 fixed-rate revenue bonds and withdrew the "A+" rating on St. Luke's series 2013 taxable bonds.
More articles on healthcare finance:
How hospitals can offset the effects of high-deductible health plans
From 2004 to 2014: 5 trends in employer-sponsored insurance
Humana's profit falls 21.2% in Q3