Sun Herald – 08/10/04: “Health Management Associates buys up hospitals in rural areas and upgrades the level of care so that local residents don’t have to commute to major urban centers for high quality treatment. Their chairman once described HMA as the ‘Wal-Mart of the hospital business,’ according to the Hoover’s Online”

In the same article we see a reference to a proposed class action suit that’s been filed against HMA in Florida for supposedly price-gouging by charging more to non-insured patients than to those with insurance. Have heard the same accusations against Wal-Mart. The challenge of maintaining ethical standards in the midst of great financial success clearly isn’t confined to any particular industry.