HMA says admissions are decreasing

Health Management Associates Inc. has seen a jump in its outpatient business, but the company's same-hospital admissions—or admissions at hospitals it has owned for at least a year—have been falling. HMA saw a 4.2 percent drop in its hospital admissions in the first quarter of this year, in part because of a milder flu season. The company, based in Naples, also saw fewer uninsured patients checking into its hospitals across the country. HMA operates 71 hospitals in nonurban communities throughout the U.S.