Kaiser to study its heart care practices

Kaiser Permanente has launched a two-year, $600,000 analysis of 175,000 patient records to spot what doctors do right--or wrong--in preventing cardiovascular disease, the nation's leading cause of death and disability. The project is funded by a federal agency and harnesses the HMO's massive database of electronic patient records, aims to ease the burden of the disease on individuals, as well as on the nation's coffers.