Florida patients leading recovery

The prognosis for Florida hospitals is improving.

In a conference call with analysts to discuss a 23% jump in second-quarter profit, executives with Naples-based hospital operator Health Management Associates say Florida is recovering from the economic downturn.

“Florida has really led the pack for us,” says Gary Newsome, HMA's president and CEO. HMA, the fourth-largest company on the Gulf Coast by revenues, operates 58 hospitals in non-urban areas across the Southeast.

While some patients are putting off medical procedures because they're facing financial difficulties, the company's volume of uninsured patients has moderated. Newsome says that Florida was the first to head into the downturn and will likely be one of the first to recover.