Mild flu season hurts hospitals

You're probably thankful flu season was mild this year, but hospital executives weren't so thrilled.

In a recent conference call with analysts, executives with Naples-based hospital operator Health Management Associates reported that this winter's unusually mild flu season hurt admissions.

In the first quarter, admissions at HMA's hospitals opened longer than one year dropped 4.2% compared with the same quarter a year ago.

“In Florida last year the incidence of flu-related hospitalizations were 21.6 per 100,000 population and this year it was 1 for 100,000 population,” says HMA CEO Gary Newsome, according to a transcript of the call on SeekingAlpha.com.