DENVER â This month, Kaiser Permanente Colorado launches a PPO (preferred provider organization) suite of products as part of its expanded product portfolio for large businesses. Denver/Boulder employers with more than 50 employees can now choose coverage from three suites of products, HMO, PPO and POS insurance plans.
Xiphoid Process Pain â Anatomy, Causes and Treatment. The xiphoid process, also called xiphosternum and metasternum, lies at the level of 10th thoracic vertebrae. It is also the lowest and the smallest part of the sternum, marks the lower limit of the thoracic cavity and the lower border of the heart. At birth, the xiphoid process is cartilaginous, but it slowly ossifies (turns to bone) from the central core after middle age (usually around 40 years of age).
It is connected to the first two ribs and is not completely rigid. The body, also called the blade or gladiolus, is right in the middle of the sternum. It connects to the third through seventh ribs directly and the eighth through tenth ribs indirectly. The xiphoid process is the bottom tip of the sternum.ternum. The sternum, or breastbone, is a flat bone at the front center of the chest. The ribs and sternum make up what is called the ribcage.. The ribcage protects the lungs, blood vessels, and heart, along with parts of the spleen, stomach, and kidneys from traumatic injury.