A lesson in PR from HMA

The current investigation into hospital admissions into Health Management Associates offers some interesting lessons in public relations.

Naples-based HMA, which operates 70 hospitals in non-urban areas of the country, decided to counter a critical “60 Minutes” television broadcast before the segment aired. It held a conference call with analysts and investors to discuss the allegations made by current and former employees about improper admissions to its hospitals on the Friday prior to the Sunday broadcast.

It's highly unusual for a publicly traded company to warn of a story before it's published or aired, but HMA started alerting investors about the television show's inquiries as early as August.

If there's something investors hate more than bad news, it's surprises. So you have to hand it to the company's management for confronting the issue before it hit the airwaves and the papers.

So far, HMA's aggressive counter to the “60 Minutes” program helped blunt what could have been a big hit to its stock. On the Monday following the broadcast, HMA's shares fell only 5% on the New York Stock Exchange.