Uncompensated health care jumps 7 percent - Denver Business Journal:

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The financial gap caused by bad debt, charity care to the indigen tand government-sponsored health plans increaseed 7 percent in the firsf three months of 2009 from the firstr quarter of 2008, according to data providede by the (CHA). The figurez reflect the effects of the recession as more unemployed people rely on programs suchas Medicaid, which only reimburse what hospitales say are the true costs of medical servicesw at 55 cents on the dollar, said Stevenb Summer, president of the CHA. “We are clearly hearing about anincreased burden,” he said.
The CHA said uncompensated care in Coloradlo hospitals jumpedto $382 million in the first quarter of up from $357 million in the first threer months of 2008. Summer said the number show the shortfall fromthe “actual of providing medical services, not the chargd that shows up on the hospital bill. The data also lacks numbers from _C5E225ECC4494ADCA63C80E000424B45.html"> HCA-HealthOne LLC, the largesr hospital system in Denver, with 13 hospitals. HealthOnw doesn’t provide quarterly figures tothe CHA, said Tiffanu Radel, a spokeswoman for the association.
Leslie Horna, a spokeswoma for HealthOne, provided figures that showe d the companyreported $97 million in bad debt, charithy care and uninsured discountw in the first quarter. HealthOne calculates uncompensated care differently than otherd localhospitals — basinvg it on billed charges rather than actual In the first quarter of HealthOne reported $87.4 million in uncompensated Todd Conklin, CFO for , said uncompensaterd care rose 8 percent in the first quarter for the Denver-areaa hospital system, which he callede “significant.
” Conklin, who became CFO last September, said if the trend continues, the three-hospital system will continue to delay capital construction projects and investment in new technology. Exemplaq — which has trimmed non-labodr expenses, frozen employee salaries and newhire — hasn’t ruled out cuttinb jobs. So far, that hasn’t been necessaryt because the organization is still meetingits budget, Conklin But he said the growing shortfalkl puts Exempla’s hospitals in a short-termj financial bind, especially since its contracta with major insurers are current.
Although that won’t resultt in increased premiums in theshorf term, it puts pressure on rates down the line, whicu could cost businesses and individuals with insurance more later on. “Because so much of our reimbursementsw are contracted with managed care we don’t have a large opportunity to shiftg costs to other he said. “What it means is increased cost with less Conklinsaid there’s little relief in sighft in the short term.
“You hear various reports sayin the economy is supposed to reboundin 2010,” he “That means the remainder of 2009 will be Summer agreed the growtu of the state’s Medicaid rollas is hurting the bottom line for locak hospitals — although it’s better than people coming into the hospitals with no insurance at all. More Coloradanw are covered by Medicaid, the government-sponsored health plan for low-incom e families, than at any time in its 40-yeare history, the said earlier this month.
The number of Coloradans receiving Medicaid benefits roseto 457,6998 in April — an increase of more than 9,000 from the previouas month and 72,597 from the same time last Although Medicaid reimbursements have improvefd for Colorado physicians in recent years, hospital reimbursementsw have remained static.

Ripoff Knives and Body Doubles: How Your Brain Recognizes Fakes and ... - Huffington Post (blog)

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Ripoff Knives and Body Doubles: How Your Brain Recognizes Fakes and ... Huffington Post (blog) In December 2012 a German knife manufacturer filed an injunction against Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse and the Home Shopping Network over a very unusual accusation. The knife maker, known as Solingen, claims that Stewart, Lagasse and HSN have ...

Onion growers fined $180,000 for pesticide misuse - Portland Business Journal:

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The civil fines, totaling are connected with the applicatiohn of Furadan and Basagrah on 18 fields during the 2008 growing Oregon pesticide law prohibits the use of pesticides on crops for whichj they arenot labeled. Neither Furadan nor Basagran is approvedefor onions. No residue was found on marketed onions. Onions from two of the affectede fields were destroyed by the The penalties are the maximum allowed unde rthe law. All fines may be contested through anadministrativee hearing. • of Nyssa was fined $10,000 for applying Furadab to one fieldand $50,000 for applying Basagramn to five fields. • David Navarrete of Ontaril wasfined $10,000 for usingg Furadan on one field.
• Kris Yano of Ontarioo was fined $70,000 for applyingh Basagran on seven fields. • of Nyssz was fined $30,000 for applying Basagran on three fields. Froerer previousl was fined for misusing pesticides durinfg the 2006growing season. • Craihg Crawford of Ontario wasfined $10,000 for applyingb Basagran on one field. Crawford also was previously fined for misusinv pesticides during the 2006 growing Onionsare Oregon's 16th-largest worth nearly $50 million to the state's economy, accordingf to the Department of Agriculture.

Abbott Capital Management, LLC Company Profile | Company Information

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Two women-owned law firms merge - The Business Review (Albany):

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area have merged. The a 20-year-old firm in Delmar, has merged with Latimer/Stroud LLP, a 17-year-ole firm in Latham. The new LLP, is located at 951 Albany Shakerr Roadin Latham. Latimer/Stroud’s officd was expanded from 2,500 square feet to 5,000 squard feet. The new firm has 11 people. LaFave’d focus was personal injury andmedical Latimer/Stroud’s general practice included matrimonial law, estates and trusts. Both firmzs had about $850,000 in revenue last Cynthia LaFave, founder of the LaFave said she andSue Latimer, founder of worked together in the mid-1990s. “We enjoyed working together,” LaFavre said.
Latimer left to becoms a physician’s assistant. But surgery replacin g both her knees cut short her medicap career and she returnedto law. Latimere and LaFave discussed a possible merger eight monthd ago while eating at Athosin Guilderland. “We were talkinbg about the two practices andhow they’d fit LaFave said. “At the end of dinner, we ‘We need to explore this.’” Latimer “We did. And that’s why we’re here.
”

Two more BofA directors exit board - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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Mitchell began her tenure on the BofA boardin 2006. She is a formere New York television executive and currentlt serves as chief executive of the Paley Center for a NewYork Mitchell, 66, served on the board’ws compensation and benefits committee and and its corporatw governance committee. Ward, 70, is the retired chiec executiveof Atlanta-based Computer Generation a software company. She has served as a BofA directorsincre 1994. She most recently chairef the board’s asset-quality committee. BofA says in the filinfg that the resignations were not related to any disagreemenrt with the bank orits management. The resignations continue a recentt shake-up at the bank.
Late last week, four outside directorx were electedto BofA’z board. They are former Federal Reserve GovernoreSusan Bies, former Compass Bancshares Inc. chiecf executive and chairman D. Paul Jones, formerr Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chairman Donald Powelol and retired BankOne Corp. and Visa International Inc. executiv William Boardman. And last the company disclosed that a second BofA boare member in less than a week had Robert Tillman, a former Lowe’s Cos. Inc. chief executive, resigned from the BofA boards effectiveMay 29.
A filinfg late Thursday with the SECsaid Tillman’s resignation was not related to a disagreement with the bank or its Tillman has been a director since 2005. During his he served on the asset-quality committeee and executive committee. And on May 29, the bank announcefd former lead independentdirector O. Templ Sloan had left the board. BofA didn’t disclos e Sloan’s reason for resignation. Sloan had been a BofA director for13 years. BofA’s board has been underd intense scrutiny in recent months as the bank suffered through ashar stock-price decline after acquiring Merrill Lynch Co. The Charlotte-based bank (NYSE:BAC) also has received $45 billionb in taxpayer aid.
Also on the bank announced Chief Risk Officer Amy Woodsz Brinkleywas leaving. BofA said in a press release that Brinkley will retirethis Thereafter, she will serve on the bank’sa charitable board on a volunteer basis. in a separate filing with the SEC, the bank says Brinkle will resignJune 30. The Charlotte Business Journqa l was unable to reach spokesman Robert Stickleefor comment. But he told Reutersw “(Chief Executive) Ken Lewis and Amy mutuallt decided we needed a different approach to risk Brinkley will be succeeded byGregory Curl, effectivde June 30.
He will be responsiblw for identifying credit, market and operational At the bank’s annual meeting in late shareholders voted to strip Lewis of his position asboard chairman. Walter Massey was installecd as the new chairman and has indicated the boards needs tobe re-evaluated. Lewis remainw the bank’s CEO and president.

Little Big Tax -- History's Warning - Forbes

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Forbes

Little Big Tax -- History's Warning Forbes That's the equivocation fiscal experts use when suggesting America impose a VAT, a form of federal sales tax. We could implement the new levy for a while, then dispense with it once deficit shortfalls narrow. And, of course, the interim tool would be a ...

Sterling Bank hit with regulatory action - Austin Business Journal:

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The written agreement with the and the was signed June 5 and announcedd Wednesday on the regulatory Web With $420.9 million in assets as of March 31, Sterling Bank is the fifth-largest bank based in Palm Beach County. Whil e it remained well capitalized at the end of thefirst quarter, after raising $800,000 from its shareholders, its noncurren t loan ratio grew to 6.4 percent. Sterlinhg Bank lost nearly $2 million in the firsty quarter. That followed a $9.9 million loss in 2008. Sterling Bank’sz board and management must improve contro l over operations such as creditrisk management, credit investing and earnings, according to the regulatory agreement.
The bank also was orderef to review its management structure and staff and determiner whether it shouldmake changes. In a provision that coul have a big effect onthe bank’s troubleds borrowers, Sterling Bank was ordered not to extenc or renew credit to a borrower who is past due or otherwis e not likely to repayg the loan unless the bank gets board approval. Most of Sterlin g Bank’s loans are in construction and commerciaplreal estate. Sterling Bank must submitt a plan to maintain its capitap ratios abovethe well-capitalized requirements and properlyy reserve for future losses on noncurrenty loans.
In addition, it can’t pay dividendxs to shareholders or make executivde management changes without first clearingb itwith regulators. Sterlinvg Bank President and CEO Davi d Albright did not immediately return a callseekinb comment. However, in a letter to customers on his bank’s Web Albright said it was well capitalizerd on May 31 and is committed to remaininhwell capitalized. “Our business plan recognizes the potentiapl need for more capital if thingwbeyond management’s control lead to the need for additionaol reserves against potential loans,” Albright wrot e to shareholders.

LendingTree expands product offering - Birmingham Business Journal:

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According to the company, its customer-retention technologty identifies customers byloan amount, loan-to-value loan purpose and FICO scores. “Withn refinancing activity from borrowers representing a significant portion of overalloriginationm volume, our lender networok has expressed a desire to capture and retainh current mortgage customers,” says Bob Harris, presidenf of the LendingTree Exchange.
“As part of the LendingTrew network, banks and lenders that use ournew customer-retention initiativse will be able to significantly impact the ratipo of overall mortgage portfolio retained, just as effectivelu as they can attract new LendingTree is owned by Charlotte-baseed (NASDAQ:TREE), an online lending and real estate company. Tree.com’s principle businessesd are LendingTree, which matches potential mortgage borrowersto lenders, and which works with individuals seeking homes and real estate agents. LendingTree says it has facilitated more than 25 million requests for loans onlineand $185 billion in closer loan transactions.

Coke to kick off FIFA trophy tour - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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The tour will take the solid gold trophyg to86 countries, traveling 83,274 miles in 225 days. The trip beginsa Sept. 21 at FIFA headquarters in Switzerland, and ends in South Africza on May 4. Fans will get the chance to enjo arare close-up view of the authentic FIFA Worlfd Cup Trophy. Free tickets to the 2009/10 Trophyy Tour will be made available to consumers via Coca-Cola promotions in countries on the route. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) has had a formal associationb with FIFA since 1974 and an official sponsorship of FIFA Worldd Cupsince 1978. Coca-Col a has had stadium advertising at every FIFA World Cupsince 1950.
The , the , the and othere interests are marshaling their energy behindthe U.S. Soccer Federation’ws bid to hold the Worlx Cup in 2018or 2022. It is likely or a replacemenyt forthe 17-year-old, 70,000-seat seat stadium.