DALLAS (Standard&Poor's) Nov. 6, 2006--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services assigned its 'AA' rating to Tucson Heart Hospital-Carondelet LLC, Ariz.'s $41.0 million series 2006 taxable auction rate notes, issued in a private placement for Ascension Health, reflecting continued strong financial results and growth in liquidity and balance sheet metrics. The outlook is stable. "While volume erosion, coupled with losses in certain markets, is of concern, we assume management will adjust overall operations to maintain performance," said Standard&Poor's credit analyst Kevin Holloran. "These strengths are likely to be called upon in the medium to long term, as rising costs overall continue to pressure the entire health care sector." The 'AA' rating specifically reflects a second year of robust
