Death by HMO: The Jennifer Gigliello Story [Hardcover]

Dorothy Rose Cancilla (Author), Richard N. Cote (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

Do American Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) deliberately neglect unprofitable patients? You may think so after reading the true story: Death By HMO: The Jennifer Gigliello Tragedy.A new world of medicine exists in the United States-one that pulsates to the impersonal and incessantly driving rhythms of corporate greed. Patients can become little more than data entries in elaborate schemes to cut costs and bolster profits. Jennifer Gigliello's case is, unfortunately, one tragic tip of the HMO iceberg.In April 1978, Jennifer Gigliello (a vivacious, energetic, and happily-married, 21-year-old new mother from San Francisco) was struck with a severe pain attack. For the following eight years her illness was repeatedly misdiagnosed and she had a series of unnecessary or botched operations, which left her chronically ill. This series of events ultimately resulted in her untimely death.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

There are those who praise HMOs for cutting medical costs, overlooking the presumption that HMOs are taking care of individual patients. Cancilla's as-told-to story about her daughter, Jennifer, alerts us to some major possible dangers of HMOs. She details the eight years of Jennifer's downward-spiraling health and treatment--or lack thereof--including six major operations (the most difficult was terribly botched by a nonspecialist surgeon) and many hospitalizations. The staff of Jennifer's Kaiser Foundation Health Plan hospital saved money by keeping an infected catheter in position and by forcing Jennifer to use home nutrition procedures without sufficient instruction and experienced support. They refused to believe her and family members' descriptions of her pains and problems, regarding her, ultimately, as a nuisance. Finally, the Kaiser staff made no attempt to clean up after Jennifer's violent death; her father's fatal heart attack two days later may in part have been triggered by seeing the gruesome aftermath. The family's suit and the ensuing trial clearly established that Kaiser was to blame for an inhuman series of events. William Beatty

About the Author

Dorothy Cancilla

Product Details

• Hardcover: 132 pages
• Publisher: Robert Reed Publishers (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096719220X
• ISBN-13: 978-0967192208
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,381,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your personal health advocate, January 9, 2000

By 

Dorothy Guellec - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death by HMO: The Jennifer Gigliello Story (Hardcover)

Read this story very carefully and then keep it with you at all times. Even doctors now a days are saying that "hospitals are dangerous places". They are, he is right and the patient/consumer will need every bit of information to navigate this system and emerge alive.Believe me, as a Medical Journalist I know what I am talking about.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for all who want better health care, January 6, 2000

By 

Robert D. Reed (Bandon, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death by HMO: The Jennifer Gigliello Story (Hardcover)

Death by HMO: The Jennifer Gigliello Story Reviewed by Kismet Oz

Perhaps there is no greater regret than when you choose one direction over another, then at the end of a long and difficult journey you realize that you have made the wrong choice and have paid the ultimate price. This is what happened to Jennifer Gigliello and her family, who relied on a medical system that was supposed to deliver appropriate care and have the right answers, but did not.

Death by HMO: The Jennifer Gigliello Story, written by Jennifer's mother, Dorothy Cancilla, provides important lessons for all who read it. Unfortunately, this family tragedy could happen to any of us or to our loved ones.

Death by HMO was not written for vindication. Dorothy Cancilla (the author and Jennifer's mother) writes with strong conviction that their family story should never have to be repeated. She advises readers to take full responsibility for their own care and for the care of loved ones. Her book includes resources on various illnesses. She encourages people to set up advocates, who will take charge of their treatment plans, do research, ask questions, and explore treatment options.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informational Source, February 2, 2000

By 

Stormy Lufrano (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death by HMO: The Jennifer Gigliello Story (Hardcover)

I feel this book was well written and a useful informational source for anyone. The tragedy the family went through and the treatment received from the doctors was appalling. This book exposes the hidden truth of our health coverage today and is a reminder that we have to depend on our family and friends NOT the doctors. I recommend this book to anyone interested in staying healthy and safe in the care of our health providers.