Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry

"Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry" by Stephen Klaidman is an intriguing story that reveals the greed, deception, manipulation and ethical downfall of two physicians who swore an oath to "do no harm". Author Stephen Klaidman, who has written other books regarding medicine and coronary disease, excels at telling the story of two cardiac physicians who worked together to victimize numerous patients and defraud payers, while the hospital system for which they worked turned a blind eye to the corruption. Klaidman provides an informative, well-written, balanced portrayal of the facts from many points of view (patients, hospital personnel, investigators, etc.) as he unfolds the story of Dr. Moon, a cardiologist, and Dr. Realyvasquez, a cardiac surgeon, who together put a Redding, California hospital on the map as one of the top 100 cardiac programs in the country. By performing unnecessary procedures and surgeries, these physicians put the health and welfare of their healthy patients at risk and defrauded insurance companies and federal and state insurance programs of millions of dollars. The hospital, Redding Medical Center (a Tenant hospital), relished in the fact that their cardiac program was in the national spotlight and was generating top revenues for the organization. Klaidman does a superb job of delving into the facts regarding the knowledge that hospital and corporate personnel knew about the unnecessary procedures and surgeries that were conducted at Redding Medical Center. This book prompts the reader to examine the ethical dilemmas surrounding these physicians and Tenant Corporation. The fact that these physicians took an oath to "do no harm", yet their actions led to severe physical complications and death in some patients, forces the reader to examine the ethical circumstances around these cases. The fact that hospital personnel, corporate officers and even the townspeople suspected that there was something awry with Redding Medical Center's cardiac program, yet no one took action when it was suspected, triggers the reader to evaluate the ethical gaps that exist within our society. I recommend this book as a means to expose others to the faults of our nation's healthcare and legal systems. The outcome of the investigation into the actions of Drs. Moon and Realyvasquez and Tenant Hospital is astounding. I hope that this book will get you thinking about the relationship you have with your physician, specialists and healthcare system.

This book reads easily, is full of suspense and intrigue like a novel. It is so amazing that this could have gone on! Being an RN myself, I can't imagine the total lack of peer review that apparently was the norm at RMC. My mother is also an RN who worked there with Moon and says the author's account of him rings absolutely true to her. This book needs to be read by more of the public to help them understand the mess the healthcare industry is and how important it is to be knowledgeable healthcare consumers. A big thanks to Klaidman for laying out this convoluted story in such a readable way!

Book Report By authoring the book Coronary, former New York Times reporter Stephen Klaidman is attempting to expose a major "systemic flaw" (Klaidman, 2007, p.284) in American medicine; one he inadvertently became aware of after reading of the FBI raid on Redding Medical Center. Criminal fraud by practioners and the various entities that house and facilitate medical practice became a subject that Klaidman knew he could pen a book about and "enlighten" the public. (Klaidman, p.285). By chronicling the medical and surgical practice of a cardiologist, surgeon, and their minions in performing hundreds of unnecessary cardiac caths and bypasses, Klaidman has exposed the soft underbelly of why the American medical system appears to produce so much dissatisfaction. The reason is defined in the succinct observation of Mike Skeen, the FBI agent in charge of the investigation, "At some point, Skeen was convinced, a transition was made from human beings to numbers." (Klaidman, p.257). Klaidman painstakingly researched the medical scandal in Redding and wrote a book that is factual in its observation, presentation and conclusions. He attempts to be fair and balanced in presenting the doctors' motives and actions. he does not judge their motives accept to quote others regarding g their motives, and quotes the doctors themselves. He is however, scathing in his undeniable exposure of real physical harm done to patients by performing unnecessary surgeries and procedures, and the reluctance of the United States attorney to prosecute a criminal case against the defendants, the top executives of Tenet Healthcare Corporation, who were already embroiled in the civil cases. (Klaidman, 2007, p.281). Klaidman's ability to translate complicated legal maneuverings into a form that is both suspenseful and intelligible to laymen is particularly commendable. This book should be recommended reading to all who work within the American medical system in any capacity, from the financial and other miscellaneous administrators of medical corporate entities to the caregivers in clinics, laboratories and hospitals. Furthermore, any individual who has an interest in medical care, whether for themselves or another should read this book. This book poses the question of whether the American capitalist system of profit and loss can be successfully applied to medical care without the patient being sacrificed to the end goal of the" bottom line." As Klaidman paraphrases Mike Skeen the FBI agent in charge, "To them these weren't patients, these weren't people; they were revenue generators."(Klaidman, 2007, p.257)

Very scary story well-presented in human terms. I appreciated challenges the author faced knowing how the story has no clear-cut or satisfactory ending. But that's reality. In terms of personal impact, I found its telling both cautionary and heart-rending: an indictment of profit-motivated, unregulated big medicine run amok. I recommend Coronary and have been sharing my copy with friends and relatives.

This story of medical malfeasance at one of the nation's most celebrated hospital centers is an exhaustively researched page turner with a vibrant cast of characters and a plot that begs for an "Erin Brockovich"-type transformation to the big screen. There are doctors with out-of-control God-complexes and an array of medical practitioners who enable them; there are corporate scoundrels without conscience, whistle-blowers who are themselves something less than saints, and a dogged lawman who never gives up his pursuit of justice. And there are, of course, the patients & their families - the victims whose anguish is almost beyond reckoning. But "Coronary" merits five stars not just for what you'll find within its pages but also for what you will not find. Most importantly, there is no manipulation of facts or context to fit a preconceived theory on the part of the writer; there is no exploitation of human suffering for the sake of juicing up the drama, and there is no promiscuous use of quotation marks to reconstruct fading conversations -- a flaw that unfortunately, debases so much of contemporary non-fiction. Even leaving aside the likelihood that "Coronary" may well help to prevent future medical catastrophes like the one that is its subject, this book exemplifies investigative journalism at its best.