NAPLES, Fla. -- (Business Wire)

Health Management Associates, Inc. (NYSE: HMA) today announced that subsidiaries of Health Management have completed a transaction to joint venture five INTEGRIS Health Oklahoma hospitals. Under the joint venture, Health Management will own an 80% controlling interest in the five hospitals and manage the day-to-day operations. The transaction was effective April 1, 2012.

The INTEGRIS Health hospital partners include: 53-bed Integris Blackwell Regional Hospital, located in Blackwell; 64-bed Integris Clinton Regional Hospital, located in Clinton; 25-bed Integris Marshall County Medical Center, located in Madill; 52-bed Integris Mayes County Medical Center, located in Pryor; and 32-bed Integris Seminole Medical Center, located in Seminole. Combined, these five hospitals total 226 licensed beds and generated approximately $95 million of net revenue, before the provision for doubtful accounts, over the last twelve months.

“We are very pleased to partner with INTEGRIS Health and welcome these five hospitals into the Health Management family,” said Gary D. Newsome, President and Chief Executive Officer of Health Management. “INTEGRIS Health is known for delivering outstanding health care, and has tremendous recognition in Oklahoma, with approximately six out of every ten Oklahomans residing within 30 miles of an INTEGRIS Health facility. We are very eager to work together with INTEGRIS Health to enhance patient outcomes, improve access and enable America’s best local health care in each of these respective communities.”

Health Management enables America's best local health care by providing the people, processes, capital and expertise necessary for its hospital and physician partners to fulfill their local missions of delivering superior health care services. Health Management, through its subsidiaries, operates 71 hospitals, with approximately 10,600 licensed beds, in non-urban communities located throughout the United States.

All references to "Health Management" and the “Company” used in this release refer to Health Management Associates, Inc. and its affiliates.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are identified by words such as "expects," "estimates," "projects," "anticipates," "believes," “intends,” "plans," “may,” “continues,” “should,” "could" and other similar words. All statements addressing operating performance, events or developments that Health Management Associates, Inc. expects or anticipates will occur in the future, including but not limited to incurrence of indebtedness, projections of revenue, income or loss, capital expenditures, earnings per share, debt structure, bad debt expense, capital structure, repayment of indebtedness, the amount and timing of funds under the meaningful use measurement standard of various Healthcare Information Technology (“HCIT”) incentive programs, other financial items and operating statistics, statements regarding the plans and objectives of management for future operations, innovations, or market service development, statements regarding acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures and other proposed or contemplated transactions (including but not limited to statements regarding the potential for future acquisitions and perceived benefits of acquisitions), statements of future economic performance, statements regarding legal proceedings and other loss contingencies, statements regarding market risk exposures, statements regarding the effects and/or interpretations of recently enacted or future health care laws and regulations, statements of the assumptions underlying or relating to any of the foregoing statements, and other statements which are other than statements of historical fact, are considered to be "forward-looking statements."

Because they are forward-looking, such statements should be evaluated in light of important risk factors and uncertainties. These risk factors and uncertainties are more fully described in Health Management Associates, Inc.'s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, under the heading entitled "Risk Factors." Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of Health Management Associates, Inc.'s underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could vary materially from those currently anticipated. In addition, undue reliance should not be placed on Health Management Associates, Inc.'s forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Health Management Associates, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update its risk factors or to publicly announce updates to the forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect new information, future events or other developments.

Contacts:

Health Management Associates, Inc.
John C. Merriwether, 239-598-3131
Vice President of Financial Relations

Source: Health Management Associates, Inc.