Obama to discuss economic ideas with CEOs

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is meeting with leading CEOs to discuss ways to promote the economy and create jobs during his last two years in office.

Obama on Wednesday will attend the quarterly meeting of the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs. Obama plans to give a speech and take questions.

The White House says Obama will use the meeting to promote bipartisan opportunities to grow the economy and the middle class, such as tax reform, infrastructure spending and trade agreements.

In the weeks since the midterm elections, Obama has cited those three issues as examples of where Democrats and Republicans might be able to compromise. Heavy Democratic losses in the elections diminished Obama's prospects for passing most of his other legislative priorities before leaving office.

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Medical mistake numbers alarm experts

One of four Bay Staters say they or their loved ones have fallen victim to alarming medical mistakes like misdiagnoses and faulty treatments, according to a bombshell report that has local experts calling for more action to prevent such errors among state hospitals and agencies.

"This is a problem of just incredible magnitude," said Barbara Fain, director of the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and Medical Error, which funded the survey. "From our perspective there needs to be a greater urgency around making greater progress."

Misdiagnoses were the largest problem among those surveyed, comprising 51 percent of people who had encountered errors. Thirty-eight percent say they were given the wrong surgery or test, and 34 percent say they were given bad instructions.

The survey, conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, asked 1,224 Massachusetts residents if they or someone close to them had experienced a medical misstep within the last five years.

The survey is one of several new reports funded by the Lehman Center, named after a Boston Globe health reporter who died in 1994 after an overdose of chemotherapy treatments.

Robert Blendon, a Harvard professor of health policy and political analysis who led the survey, said the results speak volumes about how little progress has been made since Lehman's death.

"Twenty years ago there was an event that spurred national and statewide movement with an awful death of a reporter," Blendon said. "What do you have 20 years later? You have an issue that's still a problem in people's lives. This is not a problem that went away decades later."

Patricia Folcarelli, senior director of patient safety for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said better systems need to be put into place to prevent human error. "The major take-away is that we still have a lot of work to do," said Folcarelli.

She said the sheer number of health care workers involved in the treatment of each patient — and breakdowns in communication among them — is the major problem behind these errors. "There's multiple people delivering care, and there are a lot of opportunities for information to get lost in the hand-off," she said. "The devil happens in the transitions."

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Roslindale group battles Petco store in Village

A Roslindale Village group is trying to stop a pet store chain from opening amid its small, locally owned stores, and is seeking city regulations to cap the number of big-box stores and national restaurants in its neighborhood business district.

"We believe that national chains like Unleashed by Petco degrade the community character and make it difficult for local mom-and- pop businesses to thrive," said Christina DiLisio, executive director of Roslindale Village Main Street.

Unleashed, Petco's neighborhood version, is eyeing a new location at 745 South St., the former JB Edwards uniform store near Adams Park, but has faced stiff opposition from residents.

"People understand Roslindale Village to be something special," DiLisio said. "Chains are soulless."

The Roslindale Village Main Street is the oldest neighborhood business district in the city, established in 1985 thanks in part to then-city councilor Thomas M. Menino. There are now 20 Main Streets districts in Boston, whose aim is to revitalize and promote the city's neighborhood commercial centers.

While DiLisio and Roslindale Village Main Street battle Petco, they are also calling on the city to pass an ordinance to cap the number of so-called formula businesses — chain stores and restaurants — that could open in the future.

"Chains are never going to be able to have the face of a person and a real, live business owner putting their heart, sweat and tears to keep that business alive," DiLisio said.

City Councilor Tim McCarthy, who represents Roslindale, doesn't dismiss outright the idea of limits on chain stores in Roslindale Village, but said it would be complicated.

"We've kicked this around," McCarthy said. "If we're going to venture into this, we've got to do it right."

He said any ordinance would have to be specifically tailored.

"We may want to tweak it to make it Main Street specific," he said. "It can't be a general, sweeping regulation or ordinance."

Each Main Street program is an independent nonprofit overseen by the city's Department of Neighborhood Development.

"While we encourage innovative thinking about these issues, a formula business ordinance would have citywide implications, and will require thoughtful analysis," Neighborhood Development spokeswoman Lisa Pollack said.

Petco representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

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Steve Grossman blasts $65G raise for state pension chief

The salary of the state pension fund's executive director could catapult past $500,000 after its board yesterday gave him a $65,000 raise, prompting a warning from outgoing board chairman Treasurer Steve Grossman about the pay hike's optics amid financial unrest on Beacon Hill.

"We are ultimately spending taxpayer dollars and (it comes) at a time when cuts are taking place and budgetary belt-tightening is going on," said Grossman, who voted against boosting director Michael Trotsky's salary to $360,000, which, when combined with a bonus of up to 40 percent, could send his pay past a half-million dollars.

The state, Grossman noted, is trying to fill a $329 million budget gap, and the treasurer said he wanted to see a phased-in raise for Trotsky, who he still lauded for "outstanding" work.

Trotsky, who also serves as the $60.2 billion fund's chief investment officer, told the board that the fund's balance was up 9.4 percent in the year ending Oct. 31, but also warned of waves of market volatility amid the recent gains.

"We think this signals the late stage of the boom that we've been in for the past five years and we have prepared for," Trotsky said, according to the State House News Service.

A representative of Glen Shor, Gov. Deval Patrick's administration and finance secretary, was the only other board member to vote against Trotsky's raise.

Treasurer-elect Deb Goldberg said in a statement while a "significant raise" is well-deserved, the spike was "uncomfortable and not necessarily appropriate at this time."

Trotsky said in a statement he's "extremely proud" of the gains the fund has made.

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Takata: Evidence doesn't support national recall

DETROIT — A defiant Takata Corp. told a U.S. safety agency that its demand for a nationwide air bag recall isn't supported by evidence, and the government doesn't have authority to tell a parts maker to do a recall.

The company laid out its position in a Tuesday letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration obtained by The Associated Press that rejected the agency's demand for a recall.

It sets the stage for a confrontation at a House subcommittee hearing on the matter Wednesday morning.

In a statement, NHTSA called Takata's response "disappointing" and said it will review the response to determine the agency's next steps. A week ago, the agency threatened civil fines and legal action if Takata didn't declare the driver's air bag inflators defective and agree to the recall. It can impose fines of up to $35 million.

The inflators can explode with too much force, spewing shrapnel into the passenger compartment. At least five deaths and dozens of injuries have been linked to the problem worldwide.

But in its letter, Takata told Frank Borris, director of NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, that the agency is basing its demand for a national recall on slim evidence.

A national recall would add 8 million vehicles to previous recalls, Takata said. Those have been limited to high-humidity areas in Florida, Hawaii, along the Gulf Coast and in some U.S. territories. Takata has maintained that prolonged exposure to airborne moisture can cause the inflator propellant to burn faster than designed, causing it to explode with too much force.

But NHTSA, in its letter demanding a national recall, pointed to inflator ruptures that injured drivers in California and North Carolina — both outside the recall zone.

Takata, however, told the agency that the California case involving a 2005 Honda Accord already is covered by a Honda service campaign, making a recall unnecessary. A 2007 Ford Mustang in the North Carolina case has not been examined by either Takata or NHTSA, the letter said. "Therefore, there is no way to ascertain what actually occurred during the incident, whether any inflator ruptured," it said.

Takata also contends that NHTSA only has authority to seek recalls from auto manufacturers and makers of replacement parts, not original parts suppliers. NHTSA disagrees.

"It is Takata's current view that the currently available, reliable information does not support a nationwide determination of a safety defect in all vehicles equipped with the subject driver-side inflators,'" the company's head of product safety wrote in the letter.

A Takata quality executive and David Friedman, deputy NHTSA administrator, are scheduled to appear at Wednesday's hearing before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee.

Takata also said that it has tested 1,057 driver and passenger inflators taken from locations outside the high-humidity zone, and none of them has ruptured. The company said it will expand production of replacement inflators for the current recalls and will expand the recalls if warranted.

"If those testing efforts or data from other sources indicate the existence of a safety defect beyond the scope of the current campaigns, Takata will promptly take appropriate action," the company said.

NHTSA said in a statement Tuesday night Takata shares responsibility for keeping driver's safe. "We believe anything short of a national recall does not live up to that responsibility," the statement said.

The dispute between the government and Takata left automakers caught in the middle, not knowing whether they should start the recall process or not. NHTSA has told the affected automakers — Ford, Honda, Chrysler, Mazda and BMW — that they need to recall the driver's side inflators soon. Takata passenger air bag recalls remain limited to high-humidity areas.

BMW has said its recalls are national already, while Ford and Chrysler wouldn't comment. Honda said Tuesday it is "seriously considering" a nationwide recall.

So far automakers have recalled about 14 million vehicles worldwide for Takata air bag problems, including 8 million in the U.S.

____

Kageyama reported from Tokyo.

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CoreLogic: US home prices accelerated in October

WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices rose at a faster year-over-year pace in October than in September, snapping a seven-month slowdown.

Real estate data provider CoreLogic said Tuesday that prices increased 6.1 percent in October compared with 12 months earlier. That was up from September's year-over-year increase of 5.6 percent.

Still, home values are rising more slowly than they were earlier this year, when 12-month gains were averaging nearly double their current pace.

The price momentum began to tail off in the middle of the year as home values in more cities and states neared the record highs last seen shortly before the Great Recession began in late 2007.

Higher prices have reduced affordability, especially because the incomes of many would-be buyers have yet to match their pre-recession levels. Lending standards also remain comparably tight.

Previous price increases led investors to pull back from the home market, and first-time buyers have yet to fill the void created by their departure.

Price growth will likely remain mild as a result, CoreLogic said. The firm projects that home values will rise 5.1 percent over the next 12 months. Roughly half the country's homes will match or surpass their pre-recession prices by mid-2015, it predicts.

Every state reported a price gain in October. CoreLogic said prices reached new highs in Colorado, Louisiana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming. In 27 states, home values are within 10 percent of their previous peaks.

There are still pockets of the country — including parts of Texas, Seattle and Denver — where prices are rising faster than in the rest of the country because of their relatively strong job markets, incomes and home prices, said Sam Khater, deputy chief economist at CoreLogic.

Other real estate companies have forecast a sharper slowdown in price gains next year.

Zillow, the online home marketplace, released estimated Tuesday that home values will rise a mere 2.5 percent nationwide in 2015. That slowdown should ultimately help bring more buyers into the market and increase sales, said Stan Humphries, Zillow's chief economist.

Humphries said he thinks more homes will be listed for sale as prices edge closer to their previous peaks, giving buyers more options. At the same time, rental prices are expected to rise 3.5 percent. That should give people an additional incentive to buy.

"As renters' costs keep going up, I expect the allure of fixed mortgage payments and a more stable housing market will entice many more otherwise content renters into the housing market," Humphries said.

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Report: 17 percent drop in hospital patient harm

A federal review of hospital medical records and other data has found a 17 percent decline in infections, drug mistakes, bed sores and other preventable errors from 2010 to 2013, according to a report released Tuesday.

Using methods developed by health care quality experts, the report estimated that 50,000 fewer patients died in the hospital and about $12 billion in health care costs was saved as a result of the decline.

The report, while acknowledging that the reasons for the improvements aren't fully understood, does list likely contributing causes. They include carrots and sticks such as technical help, public reporting on errors and financial penalties established by the Affordable Care Act.

"Today's results are welcome news for patients and their families," Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a statement. "These data represent significant progress in improving the quality of care that patients receive while spending our health care dollars more wisely."

Dr. Peter Angood of the American Association for Physician Leadership, who wasn't involved in the federal report, said the health care industry has a long way to go, and it's still unclear which patient safety strategies work best in hospitals. He noted that the report finds that one in 10 hospital patients still experience such errors.

"A 10 percent significant error rate that creates harm, disability and possible death is way too high in American health care," Angood said.

The report analyzed conditions patients develop in the hospital such as adverse drug events, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, pressure ulcers and surgical site infections. Most of these so-called hospital-acquired conditions are considered avoidable.

The improvement mostly happened in 2012 and 2013, according to the report, and most of the decline came from fewer adverse drug events and pressure ulcers, or bed sores.

More than 1.3 million fewer hospital-acquired conditions were experienced by patients over the three years compared with the number that would have occurred if 2010 rates remained steady, according to the report.

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West Coast port slowdown won't halt holiday goods

LOS ANGELES — Labor strife on the West Coast waterfront isn't going to steal Christmas.

Dockworkers at 29 sea ports from San Diego to Seattle have worked without a contract since July, and negotiations over a new one turned contentious this fall.

On Tuesday, full negotiating teams are meeting for the first time in nearly two weeks.

Public pressure has been mounting, especially because the movement of cargo — several billion dollars' worth on an average day, mostly to and from Asia — has been slowed. Those issues ripple through the economy, including truckers who don't get paid as much because they are hauling fewer loads and importers who are being charged fees to store containers in dockside yards.

An association representing transoceanic shipping lines and operators of port terminals accuses dockworkers of orchestrating work slowdowns at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and north to Oakland and Washington state. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union says they have been working safely and that the bigger factor is a shortage of truck beds to carry containers from the docks in Los Angeles and Long Beach — by far the nation's largest — into commerce.

At the Southern California port complex, for example, the time it took between when a ship docked and when a container was available for pickup more than doubled to about 80 hours between September 2013 and September 2014, according to data from INTTRA, which tracks global trade for shipping lines.

While both work pace and equipment shortages are a factor, retailers say most holiday goods are safely through the ports. Most likely affected would be the restocking of "must-have" toys or other surprise sellers.

In those cases, importers might opt for air delivery, which is about 10 times more expensive than delivery by ship, according to Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain at the National Retail Federation.

Those stores are "pretty much eating the cost at this point," Gold said.

___

Contact Justin Pritchard at http://twitter.com/lalanewsman .

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Chrysler, GM post sales gains in November

DETROIT — Chrysler and General Motors each posted U.S. sales gains last month, strong signs that Black Friday promotions and falling gas prices drove U.S. auto sales higher in November.

Chrysler sales were up 20 percent to nearly 171,000 vehicles, helping the company to its best November in 13 years, while GM sales rose 6 percent to nearly 226,000.

Chrysler was led by the 200 midsize sedan with sales that more than doubled to over 14,000. It sold nearly 36,000 Ram pickups, an increase of 21 percent for its top-selling vehicle. Jeep Cherokee small SUV sales rose 67 percent to nearly 17,000.

At GM, the Chevrolet Silverado pickup was the top seller with sales up nearly 25 percent to almost 43,000. GMC Sierra pickup sales rose 57 percent to nearly 23,000, and Chevy Cruze compact car sales were up 26 percent to nearly 23,000.

The TrueCar.com auto pricing site predicts that total U.S. sales last month will reach 1.3 million, up around 4 percent from a year ago and the fastest pace since August. The hot sales are being fueled by zero-percent financing and rebates. But the sales are still profitable for automakers due to high transaction prices.

Analysts predict that Black Friday promotions started early and helped the month close strong, and falling gas prices boosted sales of SUVs.

TrueCar President John Krafcik said deals — like zero-percent financing on new Chevrolets or a $3,500 credit on a new BMW — drew buyers, along with hot-selling new vehicles like the Cherokee and Toyota Camry.

Despite the deals, it was a profitable month for the industry, with consumers poised to set new spending records. As of mid-November, buyers were spending an average of $30,874 per vehicle, or $165 more than the previous record of $30,709 in October, according to consulting firms J.D. Power and LMC Automotive.

That was partly because buyers were loading up their vehicles with extras like adaptive cruise control and navigation, and also because low gas prices convinced many buyers to pick pricier SUVs. Gas prices fell 23 cents in November to a four-year low of $2.76 per gallon, according to AAA.

Combined record transaction prices with strong new-vehicle retail sales has November on pace for a record month for consumer spending on new vehicles at $33.3 billion. That's $1.1 billion more than the previous record for the month of November set in 2013.

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Automakers expand passenger air bag recalls

DETROIT — Under pressure from U.S. safety regulators, two automakers are expanding recalls or adding them to fix potentially faulty passenger air bags in high-humidity states.

Documents posted Tuesday by the government say Subaru is expanding a previous recall of five models. Mitsubishi is recalling one model, the 2004 and 2005 Lancer small car.

Both companies have cars equipped with air bags made by Takata Corp. The bags can inflate with too much force and spew metal shrapnel into the passenger compartment. At least five people have been killed by the faulty air bag inflators.

Previous recalls were limited to Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and several other territories. The new Subaru and Mitsubishi recalls now cover those areas as well as southern Georgia and coastal areas of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and South Carolina. Different automakers have different recall boundaries, and the government is trying to bring them all into line to avoid confusion.

The Subaru recall affects the 2003 to 2005 Outback, Legacy and Baja, as well as the 2004 and 2005 Impreza, and the 2005 Saab 9-2X, which was made by Subaru.

Neither Subaru nor Mitsubishi released numbers of vehicles covered by the new recalls.

The government is demanding a national recall of Takata driver's air bag inflators. The company has until midnight to respond to the demand from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or face legal action and civil fines.

Company officials thus far have not commented on the demand, but they did comply with a data request from the agency on Monday.

NHTSA says it doesn't have data to justify a national recall of passenger side air bags.

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