GRAND FORKS, N.D.
A new audit is critical of the management of the University of North Dakota medical school and says family practice centers in Bismarck and Minot are on shaky financial footing.
The medical school dean, H. David Wilson, has alienated faculty members and state lawmakers by making decisions without consulting others or considering their public impact, the audit says. Wilson disputes the criticism.
The audit also suggests restarting a family medicine residency program in Fargo that was shut down five years ago. The state needs more training opportunities for new doctors, and federal Medicare aid may be available to subsidize expenses, it says.
Bismarck’s family practice center, which is located downtown, is difficult to access, while Minot’s center is “burdened with high fixed costs and high faculty turnover,” the audit says.
“Although the Centers for Family Medicine provide excellent services to the communities, they do not represent good business investments for the medical school,” the audit says. “Based on current revenues and projections, their long-term financial viability is doubtful.”
The report says the medical school has done “an admirable job of recruiting talented faculty and assembling an environment supporting faculty research interests.”
