The special relationship of trust and openness between doctor and patient has been vital for centuries. But, under the guise of providing affordable healthcare, health maintenance organisations (HMOs) threaten not only quality but the essential doctor/patient bond as well. Government and corporate intervention has turned medicine into big business where the patient is viewed as a source of cash flow rather than as a human being. This book exposes this new age of HMO doctoring for what it is: a rush to profit rather than a concern for patient's needs; a cost-versus-quality machine that emphasises the bottom line, while patients become the victims of a corporate mentality that favours assembly-line treatment standards. With over thirty years experience in medicine, Dr Makover argues eloquently and authoritatively for a return to the professionalism that puts patients' needs first. He calls for the healthcare debate to be stripped from the hands of politicians, businessmen, insurance providers, and lawyers, and given back to patients and independent, self-employed doctors. He closely examines facts and fallacies, and the pros and cons of managed care, and suggests better ways to finance healthcare.
