The truth about big medicine : righting the wrongs for better health care / Cheryl L. Brown and John T. James.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : the empowered patient -- The failure of state medical boards to protect the public -- Secrets of the National Practitioner Data Bank and the failure of medical licensing boards, hospitals, and the legal system to protect the public from dangerous physicians -- Failure and successes of physician peer and performance review -- Dangerous medical devices -- A contemporary review of healthcare associated infections -- Oversight of physician offices : Dr. Welby or Dr. Applebee? -- Prescription drugs : to heal and to harm -- After the harm : apology, disclosure, and trust -- The consumer advocates who kicked the hospital-infection nest -- Medical guidelines and informed consent : routes to safer medical care -- Medical imaging : does it help?