Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A2" rating on Arlington Heights, Ill.-based Northwest Community Hospital, affecting $204 million of debt.
The affirmation is a result of several factors, including the hospital's strong liquidity metrics, favorable market position and adequate operating margin. Moody's also acknowledged the hospital's highly competitive market, unfavorable payer mix and increasing bad debt.
The outlook was revised to negative from stable, reflecting Moody's expectation that NCH will face challenges stemming from a competitive market, making it difficult to sustain margins and debt measures.