HMA plans continued push to expand, despite '60 Minutes' report

"The pipeline is rich." That's what Gary Newsome, the CEO of Naples-based Health Management Associates Inc., had to say when an analyst asked for an update on its hospital buying opportunities during the company's last earnings conference call. Newsome's optimism came in October, several weeks before "60 Minutes" aired a segment on its investigation of the hospital operator, in which several former employees accused the company of fraud - and of pressuring doctors into admitting patients needlessly to boost revenues.