First published 1991
Bogdanich opens the doors of American hospitals during their most chaotic period. The Pulitzer Prize winning journalist documents surgical errors that maim patients, billing schemes that defraud insurance companies, and care so poor it endangers lives. He reveals how staff members work under conditions that compromise patient safety. Through firsthand accounts and documented cases, Bogdanich shows how financial pressures corrupt medical decision making. The book exposes administrators who prioritize profits over healing and doctors who perform procedures beyond their abilities. Bogdanich argues that systemic problems in hospital management create dangerous conditions for patients who trust these institutions with their lives. The investigation offers readers an unvarnished look at medical care failures during a transformative decade in American healthcare.
Genres: medical, american, non-fiction, health, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-reporting, systemic-issues
Setting: America, United States
Period: 21st Century
320 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: medical-trauma