The rating on the Maryland Health and Higher Educational Facilities Authority's bonds, issued for the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), reflects UMMS' role as the premier health system in the state of Maryland ('AAA' GO); strong relationship through its physician faculty to the University of Maryland System's ('AA+') medical school; and dedicated management team, backed by a strong board of directors appointed by the governor of Maryland. Also reflected in the rating is UMMS' strong patient utilization, excellent medical staff, and strong financial performance in a rate-regulated environment. Standard&Poor's has assigned a positive outlook to the rating, reflecting the belief that UMMS' financial performance is likely to show improvement as recent rate increases kick into effect, as
