Health Management Associates Names Kerry Gillespie as Executive Vice President of Operations Finance

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Company Prepares for Additional Growth and Expansion

NAPLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Health Management Associates, Inc. (NYSE: HMA) today announced that it has named Kerry Gillespie to the newly created post of Executive Vice President of Operations Finance effective January 1.

This decision reflects current and anticipated growth, including the integration of the newly acquired, seven-hospital Tennova Healthcare in East Tennessee and the recently announced letter of intent to joint venture five Oklahoma hospitals currently owned by INTEGRIS Health, Inc. Health Management Associates operates hospitals in fifteen states and anticipates continued expansion through acquisitions and joint venture partnerships in 2012.

“This is an exciting step for Health Management and a reflection of our success,” said Gary Newsome, Health Management’s president and chief executive officer. “Kerry is an outstanding health care leader who will help us facilitate our plans of enhancing our local operations, including the development of our nursing and physician practice management services, allowing our Naples-based team to better support our hospitals and fulfill our mission of enabling America’s best local health care.”

Gillespie currently serves as a divisional chief financial officer for Health Management. Previously he served as chief financial officer of Ardent Health Services, a hospital operator based in Nashville, Tenn. Gillespie also has been vice president of group operations at Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH), where he managed the acquisition and integration of hospitals and directed the day-to-day management of financial operations for several hospitals. Earlier, he spent seven years with Health Management in the corporate office and as a chief financial officer at a number of hospitals throughout the country.

As Executive Vice President of Operations Finance, Gillespie will oversee several key areas for Health Management, including revenue cycle management, operations finance, payor relations, physician practice management, and nursing operations. Gillespie’s role will also allow Health Management to prepare for expected changes in the health care industry under reform.

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 66 hospitals, with approximately 10,400 licensed beds located throughout the United States.

All references to “Health Management” 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,” “plans,” “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 projections of revenue, income or loss, capital expenditures, earnings per share, debt structure, bad debt expense, capital structure, repayment of indebtedness, 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 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, and its most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, under the headings 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 or publicly announce any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.