Hospital's care upheld in obesity surgery death
State health investigators said yesterday that they did not find any problems with how Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center handled the medical care of Howard Reid, a 37-year-old Dorchester man who died Jan. 6 shortly after undergoing obesity surgery. Public Health Department officials declined to release details of their investigation, in which they interviewed hospital staff and examined records. Hospital spokeswoman Judy Glasser said Beth Israel Deaconess completed an internal review and reached the same conclusion. Reid, who had struggled for years to lose weight, removed an anesthesia mask shortly after surgery and went into cardiac arrest. Reid's death was the seventh death or complication during obesity surgery reported in the state since 1998 to public health officials, who have appointed a panel of specialists to review the quality of the state's bariatric surgery programs. (Liz Kowalczyk)
Chiofaro's motion granted
A Superior Court judge this week granted a motion by the Chiofaro Co. to hold in escrow about $44 million in proceeds from the recent sale of the One Lincoln St. office tower pending a March 16 hearing. Charging breach of contract, International Place co-owner Donald J. Chiofaro is suing his former partners, CPA Lincoln Associates LLC, which originally planned to develop One Lincoln St. with Chiofaro but later joined with the Gale Co. and others. CPA Lincoln Associates is indemnified by its partners for about half of any amount it would have to pay Chiofaro from its $44 million share of the $705 million sale of the building. (Thomas C. Palmer Jr.)Verizon unit to hire locally
Verizon Communications Inc.'s LiveSource operator services unit said it plans to hire 96 people to work in a Braintree call center. The Granite Street site, represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union, will provide operator services on a contract basis to AT&T Wireless Services Inc., as will seven other sites around the country that will total 1,000 jobs. (Peter J. Howe)THE NATION
Stewart charge tossed
US District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum yesterday tossed out the most serious charge against Martha Stewart, a count alleging she deceived investors in her company when she publicly declared her innocence in the ImClone stock trading scandal. Jurors are expected to begin deciding the case against the homemaking icon and her stockbroker in five days. Stewart still faces four criminal counts -- conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and two counts of lying to investigators. The judge declined to throw out any of the five counts against broker Peter Bacanovic. (AP)Freddie Mac CEO pay listed
Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance company that understated earnings by $5 billion, gave new chief executive Richard Syron $8.8 million in restricted stock as an incentive to join the company. The man he replaced, Greg Parseghian, was awarded $19 million in total compensation. Syron, 60, was also given a base salary of $1.1 million, and a guaranteed bonus of $1.32 million for 2004, the McLean, Va., company said in a statement on its website. The second-largest buyer of US home loans also said it may not meet its June 30 deadline for delivering 2003 financial statements as it revamps its accounting. (Bloomberg). . .
Etc.
The owners of privately held Bess Eaton Coffee & Bake Shop yesterday said they plan to sell the 50-year-old company to an unnamed buyer. A lawyer retained by Bess Eaton said the proposed sale will allow the Westerly, R.I., chain to pay off about $15 million owed to more than 40 creditors. . . . A merger creating the nation's largest managed care provider received approval from federal regulators yesterday. The Justice Department declined to block the multibillion-dollar deal between Anthem Inc. and WellPoint Health Networks Inc. on antitrust grounds. Anthem owns Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in nine states including Maine and New Hampshire. (Globe wire services)
