Honolulu high on Happy Patient Index
Honolulu patients are among the happiest with their doctors as compared with others nationwide, a study by Denver-based Vanguard Communications shows.
The health care marketing and public relations firm said it used software to analyze Internet reviews of 46,300 health care providers on Google+ and Yelp.com.
It found the best patient reviews in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., and Honolulu, and the harshest critics in Bakersfield and Modesto, Calif., and North Hempstead, N.Y.
The company collected ratings of individual doctors, group medical practices, clinics and hospitals in the 100 largest U.S. cities. The so-called Happy Patient Index ranked each city according to its average patient rating on the five-star scale used by both websites.
Online doctor reviews have caused controversy over their accuracy and fairness, particularly among the medical profession, though a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that 35 percent of people select providers based on good reviews, while 37 percent avoid them based on bad reviews, the company said.
For more information, including rankings of all 100 cities, visit VanguardCommunications.net/hpi-100-rankings.
Oahu, Maui among top summer destinations
Oahu is ranked 10th among the top 10 U.S. summer travel destinations, according to data gathered by travel site Priceline.com. The three top U.S. markets are Las Vegas, Orlando, Fla., and New York.
Specifically among beach destinations, Oahu is ranked second, while Maui is No. 6 on the site’s list, according to advance hotel bookings. San Diego bested Oahu, while between Oahu and Maui are No. 3 Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Miami; and Virginia Beach, Va., at No. 5. Internationally the top destinations are London, Paris and Toronto.
In its findings, Priceline cited lower year-over-year average hotel rates in many desirable destinations, including a 10 percent year-over-year drop on Maui, to an average of $188 per night.
77,000 foreign banks to share tax data
WASHINGTON » It will soon get a lot harder to use overseas accounts to hide income and assets from U.S. tax collectors. More than 77,000 foreign banks, investment funds and other financial institutions have agreed to share information about U.S. account holders with the Internal Revenue Service as part of a crackdown on offshore tax evasion, the Treasury Department announced Monday.
The list includes 515 Russian financial institutions. Russian banks had to apply directly to the IRS because the U.S. broke off negotiations with the Russian government over an information-sharing pact because of Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Panera swears off artificial ingredients
NEW YORK » Panera says it will remove artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives from its food by 2016, a reflection of the growing distaste people are showing for such ingredients. The chain of bakery cafes, which has about 1,800 U.S. locations, is making the pledge as part of a "Food Policy" it is unveiling Tuesday that outlines its commitment to "clean" and "simple" ingredients.
The announcement comes at a time when Panera Bread Co. is facing slowing sales growth and working to jump-start its business through a variety of means, such as revamping the sometimes confusing way people order and get food and switching baking hours to the daytime to create a homier feel in cafes.
The unveiling of Panera’s sweeping policy underscores how positioning foods as natural has become a marketing advantage, regardless of whether it brings any nutritional benefits. Part of the attraction for customers is that they feel better about what they’re eating, sometimes because they don’t feel as guilty about how many calories they’re consuming.
Century of commercial flight is marked
DOHA, Qatar » The aviation industry is marking 100 years since the first scheduled commercial flight — a 23-minute journey across Florida’s Tampa Bay.
A round-trip ticket on the Jan. 1, 1914, flight from St. Petersburg to Tampa, Fla., was priced at $10. Abe Pheil, then mayor of St. Petersburg, bid $400 to be the first passenger on the two-seat plane as part of an effort to raise money for two harbor channel lights for the city. Those lights are still in use.
The International Air Transport Association is marking the 100th anniversary of that flight at its annual conference in Doha, capital of Qatar, showing how far the industry has evolved despite questions over safety and profitability.
Association Director Tony Tyler said Monday that the airline industry will carry 3.3 billion passengers and 52 million tons of cargo over 50,000 routes this year. The group represents 240 airlines carrying 84 percent of all passengers and cargo worldwide.
St. Petersburg native Robert Walker, director of the Florida Aviation Historical Society, passed out copies of the original flier marketing the flight, which described the "Airboat Line" as a "fast passenger and express service."
ON THE MOVE
Mobi PCS has named Jeff Napoleon vice president of sales, responsible for direct and indirect sales distribution channels as well as overseeing call center operations and customer care. Napoleon joined Mobi PCS as a director of sales in 2007 and has a 14-year telecommunications career.
Media5 Architecture has announced the following appointments:
>> George Ramiscal to the position of principal from associate. He joined the company in 1997. His architectural experience as director of construction administration ranges from housing and community facilities to commercial and education projects.
>> Leslie Miasnik as a director of business development. She has 20 years of experience in the building industry.
Central Pacific Bank has promoted Eugene Higa to vice president and operation supervisor of the indirect consumer department. He has been at CPB since 2003 and has more than 25 years of banking experience, including serving as an auto finance operations manager at Bank of Hawaii.