In Dr. George Ho's recent letter, he insinuates that the private practice community is irresponsible and greedy, and at the root of financial problems at the medical school. He states that the hospital is profitable and the private practice community is booming, and believes that it is because the Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare and uninsured patients are being sent to the school. He also complains that the services of the faculty are under compensated by PCMH. The medical school has lost $25 million in recent years, according to reports. Taxpayers of North Carolina pay the shortfall. At the end of the month, private corporations must balance the books.

I would be interested in seeing documentation that Medicare patients are being sent to the school by the private sector. A survey recently of 105 private practices in the area reveals that over 80 percent surveyed accept Medicare patients. The private sector provides a great deal of charity care.

I suggest that if the school is seeing a large percentage of underinsured patients, it is because insured patients go to the practice of their choice.

From the inception of the school, the private community has been enormously supportive. They have volunteered to teach, and actually run a number of programs in the school. Without such generous participation, a number of programs might lose accreditation.

I am unsure which services by BSOM to PCMH are under compensated. The director of cardiac surgery receives a reported combined salary of over $1 million, and he isn't even a football player. The hospital subsidizes the hospitalist program, and pays the salary of the house staff, which provides billable services under faculty supervision.

If the school of medicine is struggling, and the private sector is flourishing, an enlightened observer might seek the reason and learn from those who are more successful, rather than demeaning colleagues.

RICHARD H. MERRILL

The Kidney Center