Moody’s lifts Illinois hospital operator’s bond rating

Moody's Investors Service has raised Illinois-based, non-profit hospital operator Evanston Northwestern Healthcare's bond rating one notch to Aa2 from Aa3. Evanston's improving cash position resulted in the Aa2 rating, the third-highest rating on Moody's 21-notch scale. Evanston Northwestern is negotiating a deal to buy its fourth hospital, Rush North Shore Medical Center in Skokie, IL, for $95 million.