ASC Transactions & Valuation Issues

Fitch Ratings has assigned an AA- rating with outlook stable to McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, S.C., for a total of $127 million in new bonds, according to a release from Fitch.

Rockwood Clinic in Spokane, Wash., will merge its surgery center into Deaconess Medical Center, also located in Spokane, according to Rockwood Clinic and a report in The Spokesman-Review.

Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y., is in discussions with Harrison Outpatient Surgery Center in downtown Syracuse for a possible takeover, according to The Post-Standard.

Arizona Heart Institute, a physician-owned cardiology group based in Phoenix, signed a letter of intent to merge with Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanguard Health Systems, which operates the five-hospital Abrazo Health Care System in the region.

The president of Upper Allegheny Health System, the parent company of Olean (N.Y.) General Hospital and Bradford (Pa.) Regional Medical Center, said Olean General plans to break ground on a $10.3 million surgery center in the fall, according to a…

An affiliation between Lenox Hill Hospital will not only bring North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System into Manhattan, but will also expand the system's reach in Queens, according to a report in The Queens Courier.

The Kaweah Delta Local Healthcare board of directors approved the plans for a 50,000 square-foot medical complex, which will include a surgery center and medical offices, in Visalia, Calif., according to a report in The Valley Voice.

Mission Health System in Asheville, N.C., and Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard, N.C., have approved a memorandum of understanding, putting them one step closer to finalizing the terms of an affiliation agreement, according to a report in The Asheville Citizen-Times.

Moody's Investor Service has downgraded Pittsburgh-based West Penn Allegheny Health Systems' bond rating from B1 to Ba3, affecting $758 million Series 2007 fixed-rate bonds, according to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Rajiv Chopra is a principal and CFO for The C/N Group, a healthcare services company.Q: You have seen an increase in the 'one-stop-shop' model for providing care — organizations looking to provide services for the entire patient experience, from assessment…