Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "Baa3" issuer rating on Wakefield, R.I.-based South County Hospital.
The affirmation is a result of several factors, including South County Hospital's improving operating performance, favorable patient volume trends and continued balance sheet growth. Moody's also acknowledged the hospital's small size and competition in nearby Providence, R.I., where there are several large health systems.
The outlook was revised to stable from negative, reflecting the hospital's good revenue growth and volume trends, which Moody's expects to drive a stable operating performance in the near term.