North Bay Business Journal

People: Week of May 14, 2012

Construction Carilile Macy, a Santa Rosa-based civil engineering, landscape architecture and surveying firm, has hired Christopher Brown as its  finance manager. Health Care Chris Bandy, MD, FACS, has been named trauma medical director of Kaiser Permanente’s Vacaville Medical Center. Dr. Bandy joins Kaiser Permanente from Enloe Medical Center in Chico where he was a trauma and [...]

Doctors Company declares dividend

NAPA — The Doctors Company, the nation’s largest medical liability insurer, today announced a $21 million dividend for its member physicians and surgeons.

4.1 percent workers comp increase proposed

NORTH BAY — Employers will likely face an increase in their workers compensation premiums in the coming year, as the cost of medical utilization and permanent disability continues to rise, according to brokers.

Smaller employers increasingly explore partial self-funding

NORTH BAY — As employers continue to grapple with ever-increasing health care costs — with or without federal health care reform — those with fewer than 100 employees are increasingly looking for affordable options, with the idea of partial self-funding gaining traction in the past few years, insurance experts said.

Fireman’s Fund expands entertainment division into Canada

NOVATO — Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company announced it would further expand its North American entertainment division by partnering with Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, an Allianz affiliate company in Canada.

Santa Rosa Community Health Centers joins suit against state on reimbursement rates

SANTA ROSA — Santa Rosa Community Health Centers is among a group of health organizations suing the state of California over planned reimbursement rates for certain services that are lower than what a group of federally qualified health centers say they are entitled to under federal rules.

Employers urged to stay the course on health care reform — for now

NORTH BAY — With the federal health overhaul hanging in the balance of what will most certainly be a politically charged U.S. Supreme Court decision, insurance brokers in the North Bay offered a familiar refrain to employers on what changes, if any, they should make to their health plans: wait and see and stay the course.

St. Joseph Health System to hold symposium on workforce wellness

SANTA ROSA — Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital will host a symposium for employers next week as part of the iWORKwell Workforce Wellness effort, a public-private program focused on employee health throughout Sonoma County.

The symposium targets employers looking to reduce ever-increasing health care expenses and to support their workforce’s well-being by offering more wellness programs.

Mullen & Filippi to move to downtown Santa Rosa

SANTA ROSA — Mullen & Filippi, a law firm that specializes in workers’ compensation litigation and related legal services, is relocating its practice to about 6,000 square feet in downtown Santa Rosa from the Fountaingrove Executive Center.

Survey: 9 in 10 doctors won’t recommend profession

NAPA — A new survey found that nine out of 10 physicians across the country are unwilling to recommend the profession to others, while 43 percent said they are contemplating retirement as a result of “transformative changes” in the health care system — results that will likely exacerbate a well-documented nationwide physician shortage.

Amy’s Kitchen opens second onsite primary care clinic

SANTA ROSA — Amy’s Kitchen has taken a unique step among Sonoma County employers in opening a primary care clinic at its southwest Santa Rosa production facility, a move the maker of natural convenience foods said will help reduce health care costs and increase convenience and health for employees and their families.

Marin General finalizes acquisition of sixth practice

GREENBRAE — Marin General Hospital has finalized the addition of a sixth medical practice to an expanding network of clinics it will now operate, a development seen as pivotal for the hospital as it looks for ways to attract and retain physicians amidst an increasingly consolidating, reform-driven health care landscape.

Wellpoint, Anthem to put higher premium on primary care

NORTH BAY — WellPoint Inc., the nation’s largest health insurance company and parent of Anthem Blue Cross, said it will pay physicians a higher reimbursement rate for primary care, a move aimed at reducing overall costs by rewarding preventative and quality care while hopefully addressing a nationwide physician shortage.

George Petersen Insurance completes move into new quarters

George Petersen Insurance Agency completed its move from one College Ave. location in Santa Rosa to another, at 175 West College Ave. last week, which was the result of the company absorbing NorthWest Insurance in 2010.

Bills mandating coverage for mental, other illness pass assembly

CALIFORNIA — Two recently passed state Assembly bills will require private health insures to cover the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses and developmental disorders such as autism

People: Week of Jan. 30, 2012

Click here for photo gallery Health Care The Northern California Center for Well-Being has hired Annette Zucconi as its new operations manager as part of its leadership team. Ms. Zucconi has dedicated over 20 years to non-profit community education work and brings a breadth of curriculum development, contract and program management experience to the Center [...]

Employers urged to prepare in 2012 for health care reform

NORTH BAY — Nearly two years after its passage, health care reform and much of its measures hang in the balance of what promises to be a politically charged U.S. Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the individual mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance. But while politicos and pundits await the decision and its implications, health insurance experts in the North Bay said most of the reforms are here to stay, even in the event that the mandate is struck down.

Partnership HealthPlan sets big employment push

FAIRFIELD — Partnership HealthPlan of California said it is undergoing a significant expansion that includes plans to grow its 280-person workforce by as much as 30 percent through 2014, while having created over 60 jobs in 2011.

People news: Week of Jan. 2, 2012

News about north San Francisco Bay area professionals

Q&A: Rob Davenport, Wells Fargo Insurance Services

Rob Davenport recently joined Wells Fargo Insurance Services as a wellness consultant to its employee benefits offices throughout California. He previously worked on implementing large-scale wellness approaches for employers like the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Olympic Training Center, Pacific Coast Companies, Inc., among many others. Most recently, he was the wellness program manager for NASA at the Johnson Space Center. All told, he’s been working in the wellness field for the past 25 years.

Mr. Davenport recently shared his thoughts with the Business Journal, particularly on how wellness can have an impact on employers health insurance rates.