UPDATE 2-HCA beats first-quarter profit estimates on higher patient admissions

(Adds CEO comment in paragraph 3, details on labor costs in paragraphs 6-8, shares in paragraph 11)

April 26 (Reuters) - HCA Healthcare on Friday beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit, helped by higher patient admissions due to demand for healthcare services.

Demand for medical care has been healthy even after the COVID-induced backlog has cleared, analysts say. Some have attributed it to an overall ageing population in the United States, while others also said a shift in the preference for more efficient setting such as ambulatory care centers that do not require patients to stay overnight has also aided demand.

The company's results were driven primarily by broad-based volume growth, said Sam Hazen, chief executive officer of HCA.

In the first quarter, the company saw a 6.2% increase in same-facility admissions, while emergency room visits increased by 7.2%.

Revenue from same-facilities per equivalent admission increased 3.5%.

U.S. hospital operators had to deal with increased costs due to hiring healthcare staff, especially nurses, following a spate of resignations due to pandemic-related fatigue.

HCA has reduced use of relatively more expensive contract labor and increased use of permanent hiring at its hospitals.

For the quarter, costs related to salaries and benefits were $7.7 billion, compared with $7.08 billion a year ago.

HCA posted quarterly revenue of $17.34 billion, beating estimates of $16.78 billion.

The company reaffirmed its annual forecast.

Shares of Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA fell 1.53% to $309.30 in premarket trading.

The largest for-profit hospital operator in the United States reported an adjusted profit of $5.36 per share for the quarter. Analysts on average had expected a profit of $5.01 per share, according to LSEG data. (Reporting by Sriparna Roy and Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)