BIZ BUZZ

Brian Kirkpatrick, Wells Fargo Community Banking president in Brainerd, announced he is retiring after 25 years with Wells Fargo.

Kirkpatrick has been community banking president in Brainerd for 12 years. He started as a community banker with Wells Fargo in 1982. He became a loan specialist, store manager and business banker for the Twin Cities area before coming back to his hometown as community banking president, Wells Fargo reported.

The bank is hosting an open house to celebrate Kirkpatrick's career and achievements from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 26, at the Brainerd Wells Fargo 424 W. Washington St. site.

The U.S. Department of Commerce is asking area businesses to play an important role in an official measurement of the American economy. Every five years, the economic census is used to develop what the commerce department describes as a comprehensive portrait of American business from the national to the local level.

And it all starts next month. More than four million businesses, including 1,300 businesses in Crow Wing County, will receive 2007 economic census forms that need to be returned by Feb. 12.

A Web site - www.business.census.gov - provides additional information and interesting statistics like average salaries in a number of industries. And there are odd facts that can help you through those lulls during upcoming holiday gatherings - such as 85 percent of the country's gas stations sell groceries and other food items. There are plenty of graphics, maps and even profiles of area cities.

Brainerd Medical Center earned high marks, performing above the statewide provider group average rate, for breast cancer screening in the 2007 MN Community Measurement report.

Jim Chase, MN Community Measurement executive director, said for breast cancer screening Brainerd ranks at the top of the state.

This is the fourth year the nonprofit organization put out its report. St. Paul-based MN Community Measurement was founded by Minnesota's health plans and the Minnesota Medical Association. The nonprofit describes itself as "a collaborative that works with health plans, clinics, employers and consumers to spur quality improvement, reduce health care costs and maximize value."

The nonprofit works with 128 medical groups, including BMC and St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd. Chase said the number of medical institutions account for 90 percent of places where people get primary care. This year the report found overall quality has remained steady in communities but care can be inconsistent.

Chase reported there is still a wide variation between the performance of medical groups. A role of the report is get information to the medical providers so they can learn from each other by seeing how peers measure up, Chase said. And he said a goal is to encourage informed discussion between patients and their health care providers with an eye toward improving health care.

In the past, Chase said medical directors were often the ones looking at these reports and now clinicians, the actual people in the exam rooms, are checking the information.

With employees making decisions on caregivers during open enrollment periods, Chase said he hopes they can check measurement in areas of care that particularly concern them to make informed choices.

The report is available online at www.mnhealthcare.org with copies of the written report available for download beginning Dec. 3.

MN Community Measurement reported it uses "data from health plan claims and patient chart reviews to determine whether the clinical standards for quality were met across 12 measures in chronic disease, ambulatory and preventive care categories. The measures are aligned with the care guidelines that medical groups have agreed upon through the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement and most are also aligned with national standards of quality endorsed by the National Quality Forum and established by the National Committee for Quality Assurance."

New data on diabetes at - www.theD5.org - specifically looks at components of quality diabetes care and provides tips for people with diabetes. Next year, the group intends to pilot a measure related to treatment of depression.

RENEE RICHARDSON, senior reporter, may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.