He said the leases would be long enough - 45 or possibly 99 years - to make it worthwhile for a private hospital company.

Community Psychiatric Centers agreed to buy two related hospital companies in a deal estimated at about $175 million.

Some leading hospital companies, including Humana Inc., have given up.

Some for-profit hospital companies have prospered without a hint of impropriety.

Similarly, Tenet may provide an early glimpse into the difficulty other hospital companies will have in containing expenses like labor and supplies.

She added that hospital companies could not reduce the days that patients stay in a hospital beyond a certain point.

The city's attorneys say that nearly a dozen private hospital companies have inquired about a possible purchase.

He pointed out, however, that some psychiatric hospital companies have recently reported large numbers of unfilled beds.

The hospital all the private hospital companies want to buy, and among the first the Mayor has put up for sale.

Few, if any, investors expect the major hospital companies to have rapidly increasing profits over the next few years.