Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

In Failure to Treat, Dr. Peter Kowey opens the doors of modern American medicine to show what can happen after a patient seeks help and enters a system that no longer moves in step with doctors' diagnoses. Dr. Kowey provides comprehensive case studies that begin with an ordinary medical concern and how they spiralled out of control due to delays and decisions made far from the patient. What emerges is a portrait of a healthcare system that can, and usually will, redirect care despite a patient's best interests at the most critical moments. Moving from first symptoms to life-altering outcomes, Dr. Kowey offers readers an inside view of the forces that influence what care is given, and what to do about it.

Dr. Peter Kowey’s Failure to Treat is so important right now, and the cases Kowey shares closely mirror what many families encounter when health issues emerge. The author writes in a direct, conversational style that makes each case feel relatable. The standout to me was on the 'Wild West' of pharmaceutical marketing and the case of Mrs. West, whose decision to pursue the televised breast cancer drug can change decisions despite the risk. I also felt uncomfortably familiar with Mrs. Hernandez’s case, where a fatal discharge after an early Eliquis discontinuation gave a painfully specific example of what can happen when insufficiently supervised physician extenders handle acute care. Kowey’s expertise is unmistakable in the way he builds each chapter from decades of firsthand experience in patient care, and this is a valuable, eye-opening resource. Very highly recommended.