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MEDICAL GRAIL, a fictional
story based upon true events, is the tale of Robert
Bascom, a young, idealistic physician who had retreated to
a small mountain top village in Italy to mourn the death
of his young wife. While drinking wine in his small
cottage he receives a call from the administrator of a
small hospital in the middle of the Arizona desert.
Corruption, incompetence and malpractice are rampant in
his facility, he complains, and he pleads with Bascom to
return to the US and help him correct the situation.
Bascom agrees, and on his first night in town, while suffering from jet-lag and a few too many drinks, he gets an urgent call from a nurse in the hospital ER. "He's Mexican and he's bleeding to death," she says. "I need help." "Don't you have a doctor there?" Bascom wonders. "He's busy. Please come!" Bascom races to the hospital. Once in the ER he sees a physician in a white coat calmly and disinterestedly reading a newspaper at the nurses' station. Two patients in the otherwise empty ward: one is asleep on a stretcher in the corner of the room, the other, a man as white as the sheet covering him, is being attended to by a nurse and an EMT in a bloody uniform. He goes to the stretcher and while doing his best to save the man, asks the nurse, "Did you ask Dr. Perkins to help with this patient?" "Dr. Perkins," she replies, "but he won't treat Mexicans." Bascom accepts the job only to learn that the charlatans and corrupt practitioners in the tiny desert hospital have one common goal: to run him out of town. And they'll do anything to achieve that goal. REVIEWS OF MEDICAL GRAIL ON AMAZON.COM 5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT NOVEL ABOUT U$ HEALTH CARE AND U$, March 5, 2011 By Suzanne White "SuzanneWhite.com" (USA) This review is from: Medical Grail (Paperback) Robert Bascom is a young doctor who signs on to work in a small hospital in Arizona. The first night he is town, he's asleep in his rental unit and the phone rings. A nurse summons him to come quickly. A Mexican man is bleeding to death in the emergency room. Bascom wonders, "Don't you have a doctor on duty there now?" The nurse answers, "Yes. Doctor Perkins. But he's busy." Bascom has just landed there. He's jet lagged and has not yet even signed the necessary papers to work for this hospital. Nurse pleads. Bascom finally accepts, runs to the hospital and tries desperately to save the Mexican man's life. To no avail. After this dreadful experience, Robert goes looking for the famous Doctor Perkins who was too "busy" to save the man's life. He finds him in his office, reading the newspaper. "How come you didn't help that poor man?" He asks Perkins. "I don't treat Mexicans." says Perkins. From that moment forward, we are plunged into a fascinating story, chock full of revelations about US crooked medical practice, insurance scams and quacks. The plot thickens and then thickens again. Surprise after surprise leaves us aghast. We are horrified. Can it be true? Can American medicine have sunk this low? The answer is a resounding YES. Raymond Andrews M.D. is a savvy doctor and a lively writer. He has lived through all of the truths he reveals in the book. Don't miss this one. It might save your life or that of someone close to you. 5.0 out of 5 stars Medical Grail, March 4, 2012 By Sharon Hopson Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) I loved this book! Anyone who works in the medical field will be able to see parts & pieces of somewhere they have worked. The sad truth is that medicine has become big business & showing huge profits is sometimes more important than the patient. The patient, remember the patient? They are supposed to be our main focus. 5.0 out of 5 stars Medical Grail, March 7, 2011 By lostzj This review is from: Medical Grail (Paperback) Sometimes we just think we understand how things work. Man I was way wrong. After reading this I feel I have a true and much better understanding. Great read and I really learned a lot. Thanks for getting this to the public. 5.0 out of 5 stars Relevant reading!, February 28, 2011 By elcoyote This review is from: Medical Grail (Paperback) If you really want to know what is wrong with heath care in this country and understand why it is broken, this "fictional" account explains it all. Thank you Dr. Andrews for bringing the tales of Dr. Bascom to life. 5.0 out of 5 stars Is this a description of American medicine? I am afraid it is., February 7, 2013 By Ladislav Nemec (Big Bear City, CA, US) Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) I just finished the book and I found it very educational. I have been very fortunate not to experience treatment so vividly and convincingly described by this MD author but, eventually, I ran out of my luck. Not in a fatal way, obviously, just suffering irreversible damage from a botched surgery in California. Surviving it, however, was quite an accomplishment. The book has two related areas that all people should learn about. In the first half it is true medical malpractice of the worst kind, in the second the intricacies of our litigious legal system. The good Italian educated doctor is the hero of the first part, a completely fictitious lawyer (I still have to meet someone remotely similar to him) of the second part. If you are looking for standard car chases, diabolic villains and some such, you will not find them in this book. Except from some serious socio/psychopaths, this country does not have that many diabolic villains. A huge number of pompous, incompetent and untouchable people who may not kill you but can take away your 'inalienable right to pursue happiness'. The book ends both on happy and sad note, one predictable, the other not really. But such is life in a real world. Five stars plus for this book. Should be required reading for everyone over 30 or so, perhaps even younger folks. 5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, July 4, 2012 By James Padgett (Puunene, HI USA) Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) This was an excellent book. It kept me pulling for Dr. Bascom from the start. The twist in the plot keep you wondering who the bad guy's are. You keep hoping someone will stand up and help. But business is business and the dollar always comes before the patient. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend to those who like a mellow thriller. 5.0 out of 5 stars Medical Grail, March 6, 2011 By rica mmac This review is from: Medical Grail (Paperback) Anyone who wants to know what is wrong with medicine today should definitely consult Dr. Bascom. Not only is Bascom a fine physician who overcomes personal problems, but he is a fine individual who wants what is best for all patients, and he doesn't want to bleed them dry! This book definitely has an author who knows and understands what Bobby (and any competent physician) should be doing. 4.0 out of 5 stars MEDICAL GRAIL: A MEDICAL CONSPIRACY NOVEL., May 13, 2014 By nurse_judith (U.S.A.) This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) THIS BOOK CENTERS AROUND A SMALL, RUAL HOSPITAL IN ARIZONA THAT IS RUN BY A UNETHICAL HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR, DOCTORS AND STAFF. PATIENTS ARE DYING AND OTHERS ARE RECEIVING INFERIOR CARE ALONG WITH EXORBITANT COSTLY BILLS FOR THE "CARE". A BRAVE DOCTOR STANDS UP FOR THE PATIENTS AND ENDS UP LOSING IT ALL. IF NOT FOR SOME STRANGE TWISTS AND TURNS AND AN ENDING WITH A LEFT HOOK YOU MIGHT THINK THE CONSPIRACY WILL NEVER FIND IT'S END....BUT THERE ARE SCORES TO EVEN AND PATIENTS TOO SEE. THIS BOOK WAS WELL WRITTEN AND AN ENJOYABLE READ. I PLAN TO READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR. 4.0 out of 5 stars good read, May 3, 2014 By Sandra Willett Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) Very interesting. A good story about how controlling a medical group can be in a small town. I will read other books by this author. Surprise ending. 5.0 out of 5 stars Medical Grail, January 11, 2014 By whiz's mom (Kitty Hawk, NC) Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) A great read. I love medical content, and this did not disappoint. I especially like the fact that the author didn't go into all kinds of dumb sexual detail. It was full of examples of great family life and love. I'd like to see a sequal. 5.0 out of 5 stars A medical battle against Greed, Sloth and Calousness, November 3, 2013 By Alex Sparasci Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) This is an excellent story, very well written and with just enough 'medical speak' so the reader knows the writer is well aware of his topic. A doctor battles it out with the owner [and associated minions] of a local private hospital to gain better care for his patients, suffering degradation, alienation and virtual bankruptcy within the process. There are several sub-stories within the main 'plot' and the reader is drawn into the life and death experiences in a highly realistic manner. I would highly recommend this book :-) 3.0 out of 5 stars True story?, July 31, 2013 By Laura Dauman Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) This subject sparked my interest about a doctor not treating a patient because of race. There were other aspects of this book that I think were supposed to be far fetched but with the way the medical field is going and corporate America this book might not be too far from re al life. This book is a quick read but not a real attention keeper. 1.0 out of 5 stars Rubbish, July 14, 2013 By Therese W. Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) Badly written, don't make the mistake of paying for this book. I liked the idea but the execution was to painful to continue reading. 5.0 out of 5 stars Great story..., July 12, 2013 By Amazon Customer (Greenfield, IN United States) Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) but if the medical field is anything close to how it's described in this book, (and I was pretty convinced it was before I even started it) then we are up the creek without the proverbial paddle. However, this is supposed to be a review of the book, not the ethics (or lack of ethics) in the medical industry. Medical Grail is very well written. I will usually put down disturbing books rather than finish them, but the protagonist was just so engaging and idealistic that I couldn't stop. Wonderful story about a disturbing subject! 3.0 out of 5 stars Not a typical medical drama, April 24, 2013 By bethweiser Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) A different kind of medical drama. I doubt that it's a fair picture of the medical business, but it's an interesting story, and the author thankfully avoids the primary cliche of medical thrillers. Unfortunately, he also avoided proof-reading - at least in the Kindle version. Many whole words are missing - you have to infer what they were. 3.0 out of 5 stars Not a favorite., April 19, 2013 By Suzan Weis Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) Very slow moving. I found myself skipping chapters just to get to the end. Multiple typos. Who edits these things? 5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed the book very much!, March 9, 2013 By Nancy OBrien (Sheboygan, WI) Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) Interesting twists and turns that I wasn't expecting! I will go on to read the authors other works. Almost on par with other physician-written books. 2.0 out of 5 stars Contrived and Pedantic, February 13, 2013 By NorthToSouth (NJ) This review is from: Medical Grail (Paperback) I wanted to like this book. Previous reviews have been uniformly positive, and the pervasive problems in the current health-care system, including fraudulent practices, might have been given an interesting treatment. Instead, the book is contrived, poorly structured, and contains distracting errors. Dialogue is not conversational but pedantic. Finally, the stereotyped characters would have been offensive had they not been so absurd. I forced myself to read about a quarter of it and then returned the book (which I had borrowed as a Prime member). 5.0 out of 5 stars AN ENGAGING READ!!!!, January 27, 2013 By Barbara Hartsfield "Avid and devoted Reader" (PASADENA, CALIFORNIA USA) Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) To start with, I was able to feel the characters!!!!! That's important with a book. I loved some, despised others. There was not one that I felt nothing towards. Enjoyed it so much I wanted to have more and bought another book by the same author about one of the central characters, Dr. Wiggens. I wish that this one would be made into a movie!!!!!! Oh, by the way, at a couple points. I actually cried! 4.0 out of 5 stars Great story with minor errors, January 3, 2013 By mtp401 This review is from: Medical Grail (Paperback) I enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover. However, the grammatical errors found throughout the book took away from the story. Every time I ran across an error, I had to reread the section 2 to 3 times to make sure I was reading it correctly. This took me out of the "zone" each time and was quite annoying. 4.0 out of 5 stars Medical Grail, December 5, 2012 By Y. Piantadosi (North Carolina, USA) Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) Story is interesting and the author writes in a way that keeps you wanting to hear more about the main characters. 4.0 out of 5 stars there are many good souls that want to do the right thing, July 27, 2014 By E Wolfe Verified Purchase This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) interesting, how the medical field has the upper hand in our lives. But, there are many good souls that want to do the right thing. Having a conscience is a refreshing twist! 5.0 out of 5 stars MY HUSBAND FAVORITE READ, June 16, 2013 By Linda J. Wessling (Grants Pass Oregon) This review is from: Medical Grail (Kindle Edition) My husband saw this listed on Amazon, so I purchased it for him for Father's Day. He read the book all the way through, this isn't like him, he usually takes days to read a book!!! |