PORT ANGELES — Olympic Medical Center’s board of commissioners and Chief Executive Officer Eric Lewis recently recognized five employees for their efforts to improve their service areas.
OMC Volunteer Coordinator Kathy Coombes earned recognition for her work to create and maintain a volunteer program.
Laundry workers Anita Weems and Marchetta Ketchum were honored for meeting the growth in laundry demands and demonstrating efficiency and safety in their work.
Environmental service workers Cheryl Reed and Danielle McKinney received recognition for their commitment to excellence and maintaining attention to detail and initiative, along with their capabilities of working well with others in the OMC organization to ensure the facility is clean and clutter-free, according to a statement from the medical center.
Insurance chief warns against customer data
OLYMPIA — State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has warned insurance companies against using certain personal data to rate customers.
In a “Technical Assistance Advisory” sent last week to property and casualty insurers doing business in the state, Kreidler explained that “price optimization” is illegal in Washington.
The practice, he wrote, “involves an insurer’s use of sophisticated statistical analysis, often using non-insurance data, to predict a policyholder’s likelihood of renewing a policy.”
Kreidler further explained price optimization in agency website video, saying the practice is aimed at “somebody that is not likely to go shopping for new insurance products. As a result of that they can raise the rates and you will still remain loyal to them. It’s really a loyalty penalty.”
If a company is using such methods, he said, “we’re going to go after them.”
Agency spokesman Steve Valandra said no complaints have been submitted to his office from policyholders.
T-Mobile grows
BELLEVUE — T-Mobile US added 2.1 million customers during the second quarter, bringing its subscriber count to just under 59 million.
T-Mobile has been champing at the bit to surpass Sprint and become the third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. but has yet to do so.
At the end of the previous quarter, Sprint held on to its No. 3 position, beating out T-Mobile by roughly 300,000 customers.
On a call with media and analysts Thursday, T-Mobile CEO John Legere said he doesn’t think Sprint can add a tremendous number of customers at the same time T-Mobile is adding a tremendous number of customers, adding that
T-Mobile has been “predictable and consistent” in its customer growth.
Since its 2013 merger with MetroPCS, T-Mobile has added about 15 million customers, reaching 58.9 million at the end of the second quarter.
This is the ninth consecutive quarter that T-Mobile has added more than 1 million customers and the fourth consecutive quarter where more than 1 million of those customers were postpaid, considered the most lucrative in the wireless industry.
KONP talk guests
PORT ANGELES — Here is this week’s schedule for the 1:05 p.m. to 2 p.m. local talk show segment on KONP radio, at 1450 AM, 101.7 FM and www.konp.com on the Internet outside the Port Angeles area.
Station General Manager Todd Ortloff hosts the Monday through Thursday segments.
This week’s scheduled lineup:
■ Monday: Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict discusses fireworks and legislative changes to the burglary statute.
■ Tuesday: Tutti Peetz discusses the upcoming Olympic Driftwood Sculptors show.
Second segment: Korean War veteran Gerald Rettela gives an update on the Medal of Honor Highway (U.S. Highway 101) and two upcoming fishing events for Wounded Warriors.
■ Wednesday: Port Angeles City Manager Dan McKeen.
■ Thursday: Clallam County commissioners.
