Exhibit 99

LifePoint Hospitals Completes Sale of Bartow Memorial Hospital to Health
Management Associates, Inc.

     BRENTWOOD, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 2005--LifePoint Hospitals, Inc.
("LifePoint Hospitals") (NASDAQ: LPNT) announced today the sale of its 56-bed
Bartow Memorial Hospital, located in Bartow, Florida, to Health Management
Associates, Inc. (HMA) (NYSE: HMA). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
     In commenting on the announcement, Kenneth C. Donahey, president and chief
executive officer of LifePoint Hospitals, said, "We are pleased to complete the
sale of Bartow Memorial Hospital, and we are confident that the hospital, its
staff, and the residents of Bartow and the surrounding communities will be well
served by HMA."

     LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. currently operates 30 hospitals in non-urban
communities. In most cases, the LifePoint Hospitals facility is the only
hospital in its community. LifePoint Hospitals' non-urban operating strategy
offers continued operational improvement by focusing on its five core values:
delivering high quality patient care, supporting physicians, creating excellent
workplaces for its employees, providing community value and ensuring fiscal
responsibility. Headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, LifePoint Hospitals is
affiliated with approximately 9,900 employees.

     This release includes forward-looking statements based on current
management expectations. Numerous factors exist which may cause results to
differ from these expectations. Many of the factors that will determine our
future results are beyond our ability to control or predict with accuracy. Such
forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations and
beliefs, are not guarantees of performance of LifePoint Hospitals or the
combined entity following completion of the Province transaction and are subject
to a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could
cause actual results to differ from those described in the forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are also subject to other risks and
uncertainties, including, without limitation, (i) reduction in payments to
healthcare providers by government and commercial third-party payors, as well as
changes in the manner in which employers provide healthcare coverage to their
employees; (ii) the possibility of adverse changes in, and requirements of,
applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures, including those required
by our corporate integrity agreement; (iii) our ability to manage healthcare
risks, including malpractice litigation, and the lack of state and federal tort
reform; (iv) the availability, cost and terms of insurance coverage; (v) the
highly competitive nature of the healthcare business, including the competition
to recruit and retain physicians and other healthcare professionals; (vi) the
ability to attract and retain qualified management and personnel; (vii) the
geographic concentration of our operations; (viii) our ability to acquire
hospitals on favorable terms; (ix) our ability to operate and integrate newly
acquired facilities successfully; (x) the availability and terms of capital to
fund our business strategy; (xi) changes in our liquidity or indebtedness; (xii)
the potential adverse impact of government investigations and litigation
involving the business practices of healthcare providers, including
whistleblowers investigations; (xiii) volatility in the market value of our
common stock; (xiv) changes in general economic conditions in the markets we
serve; (xv) our reliance on information technology systems maintained by HCA
Inc.; (xvi) the costs of complying with the Americans With Disabilities Act; and
(xvii) those risks and uncertainties described from time to time in our filings
with the SEC, including those related to the proposed transaction between
LifePoint Hospitals and Province Healthcare. Therefore, our future results may
differ materially from those described in this release. We undertake no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.
     All references to "Company" and "LifePoint Hospitals" as used throughout
this release refer to LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. and its affiliates.


     CONTACT: LifePoint Hospitals, Inc.
              Michael J. Culotta, 615-372-8512