Interview with Dr. Joseph J. Neuschatz
Dr. Joseph J. Neuschatz is the author of terrO.R.,
which is
his debut novel. terrO.R. is a medical
thriller in which an anesthesiologist, Dr. Philip Newman, finds himself
in a
medical malpractice investigation when a patient dies on the operating
table under
his care. Newman refuses to accept
responsibility for the death and launches his own private investigation. He uncovers a pattern of anesthetic deaths
across the country that stem from a terrorist plot that most Americans
would
never imagine could happen in such a benign community.
As an anesthesiologist, do you
think the medical community
is in eminent danger of sabotage, whether it be terrorism or other?
First of all, thank you
for interviewing me Ms. Williams!
The events I describe
in my novel “terrO.R.” could happen and maybe they are already
happening. But
let me emphasize: we are in no 9/11 type
danger. Just the usual transformation of the American
medical system into a legal cash
cow, destroying quietly –for financial
reasons- the career of one doctor at
the time and slowly leaving entire
geographical areas without medical help. Our obstetricians are the
first to go.
They are repeatedly being sued, after the birth of an imperfect child,
even if
the mother is a smoker, an alcoholic, a drug user, or all three. The
secret of
personal habits is often respected in court.
You have written
that the purpose behind writing terrO.R.
was to bring attention to the presumption that American physicians are
always
considered “guilty until proven innocent” in malpractice suits. Have you experienced such a scenario in your
career as an anesthesiologist, or do you know someone who has?
If you read the short
auto-biography on my Amazon Profile Page, you will find the following
phrase:
“the terrO.R. novel was inspired by an old, never explained O.R.
incident.” That’s all I can say.
Dr. Newman is
a lighthearted, wisecracking physician. Is his sense of humor a
way of dealing with
the enormity of the decisions he makes in the operating room?
Great question! I
never thought of that. Probably yes. In non emergency cases, the
surgeon sees
the sick person in his office and has the choice to operate or not. A
“gaspasser” doesn’t have such luxury. Once the patient is in the
hospital,
sooner or later surgery will take place.
The” simple inguinal hernia” (from a surgical point of view) in
a 350 lb
fast-food devotee could become an anesthetic nightmare with airway,
breathing
and cardiac complications. Surgery is divided in “Major” and “Minor.”
There is
no such thing as Minor Anesthesia. Let’s laugh about it !
Dr. Newman uses email and
Internet forums to exchange
information with other doctors during his investigation. How has
the ease of communication via the
Internet affected the medical community?
Not enough. Hospitals
and physicians, like politicians, military men and most other
professions, love
to let the world learn about their victories
while hoping that nobody discovers their
defeats. I mention in my novel the
Charles Cullen story. He is the male nurse arrested in December 2003 at
the Somerset Hospital
in New Jersey for
murdering a priest with an overdose of intravenous Digoxin. Soon the
investigators discovered that this man killed between 30 and 40
patients in
different hospitals in Pennsylvania
and New Jersey,
from 1987 to 2003. Some hospitals became suspicious but did nothing
about it,
some hospitals showed him the door and the others, he left on his own.
But the
number of complaints against this animal was ZERO ! And, if I remember
well, at
the end of last century, the Internet was already in full bloom.
Do you think the availability of
medical information to patients
via sources such as the Internet and magazines makes them more informed
or
creates imagined illnesses?
Both. Normal people
become informed. Paranoid-hypochondriacs find a better way to drown in
fictional panic.
Why did you choose a career in
medicine?
I wish I could say:
“by vocation” or “a need to help people” but…I can’t. Let’s be honest.
I was
simply brain-washed by my father who was a family physician. Are there
really other
careers in the world?
Do you think your Israeli military service helped prepare
you for a career in medicine?
As a military E.M.T.,
I was lucky to be involved in only one border clash (this was before
the invention
of “suicide bombers”) but it was enough for me to realize that I am
able to
handle blood and gore.
How did you transition from
anesthesiologist to author?
I
started writing as
soon as my English was good enough. My letters and articles were
published in
local papers, The New York Times, Newsday etc. I even had a piece
(about
Anesthesia) in Vogue Magazine. But I was
totally obsessed with this “ old unexplained O.R. incident” and, after
retirement I sat down and wrote my first book: “terrO.R.”
What is your writing process?
I wake-up in the
morning, I scratch my head, I drink a double espresso( without sugar),
I
scratch my head, I follow a morning shower with another double espresso
(without
sugar) and, after I scratch my head again, I force myself to sit down
at my
computer. You see…. I hate writing but I LOVE BEING PUBLISHED.
Who is your intended audience?
James Frey’s
non-fictional novel “A Million Little Pieces” ended up being fiction.
It is
very possible that “terrO.R.” is just the opposite. My intended
audiences are
the Medical Mystery enthusiasts and, I would like to keep them
entertained, but
also informed about what’s happening in American medicine.
What result do you most hope your
book accomplishes?
I am extremely humble
in my hopes and desires. My first expectation is a
medical liability cap on a Federal level
(and not state by state) and my second, the birth of a “terrO.R.”
blockbuster
movie.
Am I dreaming too much
?
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