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By TIMES WIRES
Published September 9, 2006

H-P boss scrambles amid leak controversy

Battling to keep her job, Hewlett-Packard Co. chairwoman Patricia Dunn tried Friday to defuse the uproar over a company-ordered investigation that relied on a potentially illegal ruse to obtain the personal phone records of her fellow directors and at least nine reporters. Dunn described the tactics as "absolutely appalling" and "embarrassing." The board plans to hold an emergency meeting by phone today to discuss concerns about the company's inquiry as well as Dunn's job status.

4 from Florida listed as AARP top employers

Three Florida hospitals and one public school system rank among AARP's list of the 50 U.S. employers that are particularly friendly to older workers. Lee Memorial Health System in Lee County, LRMC/TVRH (the Villages Hospital) in Leesburg, Brevard County Public Schools and Florida Hospital Waterman in Tavares were identified as having programs such as flexible hours, job sharing and phased retirement. At the Villages Hospital, located in a retirement community, 39 percent of the work force is 50 or older.

B.J.'s Wholesale opens first area store today

Sam's Club and Costco get some new competition locally once B.J.'s Wholesale, a membership warehouse club, opens its first store in the Tampa Bay area today. The grand opening for the store at 6290 Commerce Parkway off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in New Tampa is a week later. Based in Natick, Mass., B.J.'s stocks about a third more grocery and general merchandise items than rivals, operates a gas station and accepts manufacturer coupons.

HCA blocks visits from United nurses

HCA has begun blocking United Healthcare nurses from visiting the insurer's patients at its hospitals as the deadlock between the two parties moved toward a third week. United has been unable to agree on contract terms with the Nashville hospital chain locally, in South Florida and in metro Denver, affecting about 2.1-million members. Mark Lindsay, chief spokesman for Minneapolis-based United, visited both Miami and the Tampa Bay area Friday, saying the insurer is standing up for the consumer by refusing HCA's demands for higher reimbursements. HCA has defended its rate demands as comparable to reimbursements received from other hospital chains. The impasse means the nine HCA hospitals in the Tampa Bay area are no longer available to United's nearly 500,000 members locally.

Insurer must return $5.3M in overcharges

State regulators Friday ordered Universal Underwriters Insurance Co. to return $5.3-million in premium overcharges to its commercial policyholders. The overcharges were discovered in a market investigation by regulators, who also ordered Universal to implement procedures to make sure it charges appropriate premiums in the future.

Visit Times tech blog

Miami is the chattiest city of all, based on a study of cell phone use by Verizon Wireless. But Tampa Bay is not to be found. Check out the list and add your comments at technology editor Dave Gussow's blog (www.sptimes.com/blogs/tech).

[Last modified September 8, 2006, 23:23:00]