Special Report

Deciphering 401(k) fee disclosures said difficult to do

Previously hidden fees still hard to find in new mandated explanations

November 7, 2013

Fee disclosure requirements for employer-sponsored 401(k) and other defined contribution retirement plans are a good idea, some financial and plan advisers here say, but they add that the disclosure statements sent to millions of plan participants

Banks serving Inland Northwest post mixed earnings

INB, Columbia among those reporting increases in net income during Q3

November 7, 2013

Staff Report

A handful of publicly-traded banks serving the Inland Northwest reported mixed results for the third quarter, with most describing a challenging market.A couple of bank holding companies said acquisitions bolstered quarterly earnings, while some

Stock index rises during latest quarter

Bank shares significantly outperformed other stocks here in latest comparison

November 7, 2013

Treva Lind

Hart Capital Management Inc., a Spokane-based investment firm, says the stock value of 14 publicly traded Inland Northwest companies as measured in an overall index it prepares rose by nearly 4 percent in the third quarter.The Hart Capital Index

Lenders adjust to refi decline

Drop in refinancings results in job cuts, refocus for banks

November 7, 2013

Katie Ross

A weakening demand for home mortgage refinancing has caused some institutions here and across the country to cut jobs and refocus their attention on other areas of lending, such as home purchases, to fill the gap. Bank of America cut 1,200 jobs

SCC to start classes for caregivers wanting to become nursing aides

In Brief

October 24, 2013

Journal Danals

Spokane Community College plans to start two new courses for certification as a nursing assistant, known as an NAC. Jane Branda, NAC program director at SCC, says the school will offer the medical assistant certified and home care aide certified

Maternity center project progresses

-Art Only

October 24, 2013

Staff Report

Summer Gilstrap, nurse manager for the Family Maternity Center at Providence Holy Family Hospital, sits in a model maternity suite that's part of a $9.5 million expansion and remodel of the center. The project is scheduled to be completed early

Providence, INBC team up to streamline blood supply

Improvements to include increased communication, hospital vending machines

October 24, 2013

Staff Report

Providence Health Care, the big health-services network here, and Inland Northwest Blood Center say they've entered into a five-year agreement aimed at streamlining blood-management services and improving patient care.The two organizations say a

Obesity places burden on bottom line

Meaningful intervention will require multifaceted effort, workplace support

October 24, 2013

Robin Pickering

It's been said that "health is wealth," and it's becoming more evident to employers that the opposite is also true. According to the Workforce Wellness Index, unhealthy behaviors among the U.S. workforce cost employers annually a total of in

Health cost analysis company forms

Tech entrepreneurs set to launch cloud-based platform to measure efficiency

October 24, 2013

Mike McLean

Two experienced Spokane entrepreneurs are in countdown mode for the launch of Arevo Health, a cloud-based software startup that they hope will revolutionize corporate health care efficiency tracking.Ryan Fix and Jim Schlosser founded the company

St. Luke's new space goes tech driven

Hospital opens new lab, separate model apartment employing assistive devices

October 24, 2013

Treva Lind

Video-conferencing technology in a new lab at St. Luke's Rehabilitation Center has enabled a 15-year-old recovering from a spinal cord injury at the hospital here to interact daily with his algebra class in Genesee, Idaho, about 100 miles south of