The university said in a statement released Saturday that such an investigation ``will only confirm the extent to which Emory and Morehouse have extended themselves as partners to the financially beleagured hospital.''

State Representatives Sharon Cooper of Marietta, and Ben Harbin of Evans, requested the audit.

On Tuesday, DeKalb County Commissioner Elaine Boyer urged the state to ``dig deeply'' into the relationship between Grady and Emory hospitals, saying it ``is obvious to many of us in the community that Emory has had a monopoly relationship with Grady for decades.''

Boyer said such a monopoly ``can only lead to waste. In this case, the taxpayers are paying for it.''

She said the state should perform the audit because the hospital receives federal and state Medicaid dollars.

The long-standing relationship between Emory and Grady has raised questions recently. A former member of the Grady board accused the Emory School of Medicine of cherry-picking paying patients from Grady. And an audit raised questions about accounting practices between the two institutions.

Boyer's letter to Representative Cooper, who is on a House committee examining Grady, came on the same day as the DeKalb County Commission met to discuss the hospital's future.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)