NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Aug. 28, 2003--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today it assigned its 'AA-' rating to Maryland Health and Higher Educational Facilities Authority's $100 million revenue bonds series 2003, issued for Johns Hopkins Hospital. The outlook is stable based on the expectation that the hospital and Johns Hopkins Health System Corp. (JHHS) will continue to experience strong patient utilization, attain stronger financial performance in fiscal 2004, and minimize the issuance of additional debt. "If future debt plans increase the health system's leverage with no commensurate increase in liquidity, the outlook and rating could be subject to revision," said Standard&Poor's credit analyst Ken Rodgers. Standard&Poor's also affirmed its 'AA-' rating on the authority's
