From Santhanan Lakshminarayanan

8/17/09 8:17 AM

Dear members of the UCONN faculty,

I applaud Dr. Abeles for sharing his thoughts. His e mail gives voice to concerns that I suspect several of us share. This is the time to speak up to get clarity on issues that impact our future and the future of the health center.

I have three (at least) concerns that I am hoping will get answered at today’s meeting.

1. How will a group of physicians most of whom have been in the private practice model reinvent themselves and dedicate time and effort to education as members of the conjoined university faculty?

2. What will happen to patient care as it relates to the Medicaid /SAGA etc? ie will they be seen by all members of the new conjoined faculty at both sites or not?

3. What mechanisms are in place to ensure a level playing field in the new set up?

I do not mean to be abrupt or harsh but these are issues that faculty at the health center have held dear, hence the anxiety and concern.

Finally and in simple terms I would like to know if the merger (proposed) is on the cards regardless of an approval for a new hospital and if so how it is going to benefit us members of the UCONN faculty.

Laks.