The recent article in the Sebastian River News by Staff Writer Meg Laughlin clearly paints a picture of Dr. Noor Merchant and Dr. Thomas Baudo as having questionable Medicare billing practices because they received reimbursements in excess of the yearly average. The article provides an exorbitant amount for the fees reimbursed to each physician by Medicare but does not mention the highly specialized treatment that each provides nor does it clearly discuss the fact that most of the Medicare reimbursements were in turn paid to drug companies for drugs not available in generic form. Instead, in North County, she questions Dr. Merchant’s practice and provides some cockamany figure on how she arrived at his billing which unnamed “local oncologists and pharmacists say is excessive.”
Dr. Merchant is my oncologist and I take personal offense at the tainted slant of the article with the writer using words like “Merchant racked up” which reflects a total lack of respect for him as a professional and a lack of research into the article she wrote. Both physicians are of the highest moral standards and both are two of our very best in IR County. Unbiased news reporting or sensationalism– You can be the judge. In my opinion, the writer’s style of writing would fit in well with a national publication such as the National Enquirer.
Signed,
Marlene Ulisky
Sebastian
