Subversion of Trust

"Subversion of Trust" is the story of Alex McKinnon, an older rural doctor who challenges an aggressive for-profit HMO for the sake of his patients and his integrity. With the advent of spring in a Montana ranching community, the stakes are raised and the community's clinic, with its unforgettable cast of characters, is pitted against a regional medical center. Doc's protégé, Dr. Jenny Morgan, is the center's feisty chief of staff and head of emergency services. At the heart of this story is Waynona -- pregnant and penniless -- a heroine in her own right. Other memorable characters in this well-crafted narrative are Peggy, Doc's office nurse and the love of his life; Stan, a strapping cowboy and Jenny's high school sweetheart; John and Emma Morgan, Jenny's folks and longtime ranchers in the community; and Hugh Drummel, the ambitious self-important hospital administrator. The human dramas of medicine play out in underhanded competitions for control of patients and their families and the revenue they represent. This is a tale of dedication and daring, of power abused, and of the difficult choices to be made in health care. How Doc and Jenny finally solve their dilemmas is a spirited story that will give the medical profession courage and patients hope.

William T. Close is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is the recipient of an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, from the University of Utah. Prior to settling in Big Piney, Wyoming, he spent 16 years in Africa, arriving in the Congo just before independence and just in time for the mutinies, coup d'états, and rebellions that have marked the history of that unhappy country. He became the personal physician to the president and chief doctor for the Congolese Army.

Dr. Close, now in his 50th year of medical practice, continues to see patients in what he calls "a gentle, limited practice." He speaks frequently around the country on the disparity in care between the haves and the have-nots and the overriding challenge of bridging the gaps in a shrinking globe.

William T. Close is also the author of "Ebola: Through the Eyes of the People" and "A Doctor's Life: Unique Stories."