Your "Union fever" editorial (July 19, p. 28) states, "For many physicians, HMOs translate into a loss of control, lower personal income and a decrease in patient-care quality. However, this struggle has little to do with hospitals."
Just when I think that nothing will amaze me, along comes something new that does.
Do you think loss of control to HMOs has little to do with hospitals? Perhaps you could document that by listing some hospitals that agree with you.
Do you think that lower personal income has little to do with hospitals? Are hospitals unaffected by physicians with declining income and outstanding educational loans?
Do you think that a decrease in patient-care quality has little to do with hospitals? And why would you dismiss concerns about quality as a "struggle"?
William Hodges
Associate director
Northside Mental Health Center
Tampa, Fla.
Editor's note: The intended meaning was that hospitals have little to do with the struggle between managed care and physicians over doctors' perceived injuries to their practices.
