In response to Dr. Sanford Brown’s letter to Dr. Marissa Muscat [October 2005] about his use of the term “homogenized lemmings” to describe employed physicians: Many of the “large numbers of family physicians who claim they are unhappy practicing family medicine” that Dr. Brown referred to in his letter are practicing independently – with full-time management responsibilities on top of a busy patient care schedule. And the solo, part-time practice that Dr. Pamela Wible [Letters, October 2005] says produces income equal to the salary she earned as a full-time, employed physician just isn’t realistic in many underserved areas. Uninsured or underinsured patients make up the majority of many practices in such areas, and a busy schedule is unavoidable if the needs of the community are to be met. I suspect that I am among thousands of very satisfied physicians who can focus on patient care while administrators manage the practice with our input. Divisive terms such as “lemmings” should be avoided in our professional discussions.