Summary

What’s the worst-kept secret in the healthcare industry in the United States? It’s broken, badly broken. This is particularly true for the millions of us who have chronic medical conditions requiring frequent contact with doctors and hospitals. So how do we, the authors, know this? We have straddled both sides of this divide and, reveal the secrets to effectively running this healthcare maze.

Running the Medical Maze is an unflinching, uncensored review of the shocking and dehumanizing twists and turns of seeking medical care. Our book advises frustrated and disenfranchised patients and their advocates. We believe this includes 30 million Americans who suffer from one of 7,000 rare diseases. Such patients often find the healthcare system particularly dysfunctional. In addition, tens of millions more with chronic diseases struggle to get effective healthcare. There are also disenfranchised populations challenged by known systemic healthcare disparities. Such populations include people of color, the swelling population of older adults, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Best-selling books on healthcare like Atul Gawande’s The Checklist Manifesto focus on improving the broken system from a physician’s perspective, while those like Meghan O’Rourke’s The Invisible Kingdom describe the challenges of the broken system from the patient’s viewpoint. We offer a unique perspective and focus on ways patients can effectively navigate the broken system to get what they need—effective diagnosis and treatment—and how to inspire physicians and other stakeholders to help them.

The three authors of Running The Medical Maze bring diverse solutions-oriented perspectives. Sami Saydjari brings the patient and self-advocacy perspective as a long-time patient with a rare disease. His experience and expertise in systems engineering honed his ability to identify solutions in complex systems. His brother, Rami Saydjari, a general surgeon and a rare disease patient, brings both the physician and patient perspectives. Finally, Maria Maldonado brings the front-line physician and patient-advocate perspectives. As a woman of color, she brings unique experience and expertise in treating vulnerable populations.