Second Opinion Read Online Free PDF Page A

small but elegant room paneled in dark wood, walnut, Thea guessed, although she knew next to nothing of the subject. The table in the center, same wood, had ice water and glasses set out for them.
    'Well,' Karsten said to Thea after they had settled in, 'what do you think about what you saw back there?'
    'It looks as if our father is getting excellent care.' 'Oh, he is,' Hartnett said. 'I promise you he is. As you might surmise, when a person as eminent as Petros has something as disastrous as this accident, it's like a three-ring circus of specialists, nurses, and technicians of various kinds. As his primary care physician, I have taken on the role of ringmaster, along with our best physician assistant. Petros never actually had a private physician until this hospitalization. In fact, it was a running joke here that his doctor was the man reflecting back at him from his computer screen. That's where he seemed to spend most of his time—reviewing patients' records.'
    'The Beaumont has one of the most comprehensive and secure record systems in the country, Thea,' Niko said. 'Correction,' Karsten added, 'in the world.' 'I'm not surprised,' Thea replied. 'It's the law now, yes?' 'Exactly,' said the CEO. 'We've had an elaborate electronic medical records system in effect here for years. We call it Thor, because of its unbridled power. Now we feel that it's as near to perfection as such a system could be. Security built on individual patient control numbers, and achieved through a triple combination of password, thumbprint, and for some areas, retinal scan. It's really quite remarkable, as well as fail-safe. I suspect you know it, but your brother Dimitri was among those responsible for its creation and subsequent perfection. He participated on one of our research and development teams.'
    'Dimitri participated on a team?'
    Thea was incredulous, and at the same time sensed she needed to slow down and measure her words.
    'Surprising, huh?' Niko said. 'And he did a hell of a job, too. Dad has insisted that he pay rent for the carriage house, so when he had to, Dimitri looked for programming work. Apparently he answered an ad here and spent more than a year working for the hospital.'
    'That's terrific. I don't think I ever heard about it.'
    'Ol' Dimitri may be a tad on the offbeat side, but when it comes to computers, there's absolutely no one like him.'
    'I agree with you there,' Thea said. 'An IQ of a hundred and eighty can get you far in this world.'
    Still, far didn't describe the distance her brother had come if he spent more than a year cooperating with others on a research and development team. She recalled him not emerging from his lair in the carriage house for days on end, during which he allowed no visitors except for the pizza delivery man, and at times, his little sister Thea. The job meant so little to him, and the rest of the family for that matter, that no one had even bothered to mention it when she last visited Boston two years ago.
    'We think our electronic medical record system is the gold standard,' Karsten said, 'and the governments of a number of states, plus the federal government, are discovering that is true. Before too long, Thor or some variant might well be required of every hospital and health-care facility in the country. With the patents Beaumont holds, the system your brother helped invent could bring in billions.'
    'That sounds wonderful,' Thea said. 'I'm afraid we at Doctors Without Borders haven't quite reached that level of sophistication. But then again, without managed care, HIPAA laws, and all those malpractice suits, it's quite possible we won't have to.'
    An uncomfortable silence followed during which it seemed as if a poll was being taken to see who should be speaking up. Thea looked from her brother and sister to the others, and wondered if she might have said something wrong. Finally, Sharon Karsten cleared her throat and adjusted her half-glasses.
    'Urn… Thea,' she began, 'I don't think