Standard of Care: A Novel

by David Kerns

A tale of ethical crisis and redemption, Standard of Care is one doctor's tumultuous journey as a senior executive in America's largest and most predatory hospital corporation. Weary of the tedium and diminishing returns of twenty-five years of private practice, Dr. Daniel Fazen becomes the new senior medical executive, the guardian of quality patient care, at Walnut Creek Memorial, his long-cherished community hospital. Without warning, eleven months later, Memorial is acquired by the Olympia Healthcare Corporation, the largest and, he knows, the most ruthless for-profit hospital conglomerate in America. At age fifty-five, with a taste for the good life and years of tuition ahead for his kids, Dan ponders a six figure incentive. With reservations-and rationalizations-he stays with Olympia. And so begins a downhill debacle...

229 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2007

About the author

David Kerns spent thirty-five years in academic pediatrics before turning to a second career, combining a life-long love of music with a knack for writing lively, entertaining prose. He regularly reports on live musical performances for the Napa Valley Register.

His debut novel, STANDARD OF CARE (Sentient Publications), is a tale of ethical crisis and redemption set in the world of mega-corporate health care. It was a finalist in the 2008 Indie Excellence Awards for fiction. His latest novel, 2018's FORTNIGHT ON MAXWELL STREET, is "true fiction," a medical drama set in inner-city Chicago in the days immediately preceding and following the assassination of Martin Luther King. It is now available in paperback and Kindle versions.

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and succinct story - the good doctor versus corporate medicine. We are seeing these same things happen in veterinary medicine. I found this to be a good read, and it further supports my thought that one needs a good medical advocate when dealing with the healthcare system in any form or fashion.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read - many "right on" moments - about corporate role in health care. Ultimately scathing, but engaging to read, not preachy. Added bonuses - recognizably takes place in the East Bay AND BANJOS!