***SPOILERS*** It's when news reporter Joe Hamill, Ronald Hunter, suffers a mild heart attack while playing tennis with his girlfriend-not his wife-Denice, Lara Parker, he's treated by the top hospital cardiologist Dr. MacArthur-or "Mack" for short-St. Clair, Louis Gossett Jr, who tells him he has nothing to fear in that it-the attack-was a very mild one. While recovering in the hospital ward Joe takes an interest in a fellow heart attack survivor Mr. Dominguez,,Rene Enriquez,whom he wants Dr. Mack to look at.
Joe insisting that Dominguez is in far worse shape then his medical records show he is he goes over Dr. Mac's head to his boss head of cardiology Dr. Mendel, E.G Marshall, for a second opinion. Mendel who needs cash to keep the cardiology unit from being shut down jumps at the chance to operate on the helpless Mr. Dominguez not just in order to save his life but to make tens of thousands, from Medicare, for the operation; cash that would keep his cardiology unit from being closed down. It's just when the operation is about to take place that Dr.Mack sees that Dominguez's diagnoses had been switched and that the operation that's to save his life may well end up killing him!
***SPOILERS***Rushing to stop the operation Dr. Mack confronts Dr. Mendel telling him to stop the operation before its too late which Mendel, smelling big bucks in preforming it, at first refuses to do. It's when Dr. Mack threatens to expose Dr.Mendel's greed over caring for his patient to the hospital board that he finally deists and cancels the operation. It took a lot of guts on Dr. Mack's part to do what he did but when a mans or womens life is at stake what else could he in good conscious do! As for Joe who started all this he meant well in what he did, trying to get Dominguez a life saving by-pass operation, but in the end if he succeeded all his well meaning efforts would have ended up putting Dominguez in the hospital morgue not recovery room!
Joe insisting that Dominguez is in far worse shape then his medical records show he is he goes over Dr. Mac's head to his boss head of cardiology Dr. Mendel, E.G Marshall, for a second opinion. Mendel who needs cash to keep the cardiology unit from being shut down jumps at the chance to operate on the helpless Mr. Dominguez not just in order to save his life but to make tens of thousands, from Medicare, for the operation; cash that would keep his cardiology unit from being closed down. It's just when the operation is about to take place that Dr.Mack sees that Dominguez's diagnoses had been switched and that the operation that's to save his life may well end up killing him!
***SPOILERS***Rushing to stop the operation Dr. Mack confronts Dr. Mendel telling him to stop the operation before its too late which Mendel, smelling big bucks in preforming it, at first refuses to do. It's when Dr. Mack threatens to expose Dr.Mendel's greed over caring for his patient to the hospital board that he finally deists and cancels the operation. It took a lot of guts on Dr. Mack's part to do what he did but when a mans or womens life is at stake what else could he in good conscious do! As for Joe who started all this he meant well in what he did, trying to get Dominguez a life saving by-pass operation, but in the end if he succeeded all his well meaning efforts would have ended up putting Dominguez in the hospital morgue not recovery room!