Thomas Neviaser, M.D.’s Bones & Me describes the author’s journey from medical school to retirement, with milestones in between, such as marriage and family. A majority of his life has been dedicated to his medical career, taking him and his family around the Eastern Seaboard. The doctor states his relationship with his patients is paramount to his care and this becomes apparent throughout the book. He discusses his experience in his training in school as well as the military along with starting and running a private practice and his difficulties working with medical insurance companies.

Following in their father’s footsteps, Dr. Neviaser and his two brothers went into the field of medicine. While in medical school, Dr. Neviaser married his wife, Lynn, and their children were born during his residency. He was on an every-other-night and every-other-weekend schedule for much of that time, and he was away more than he would have liked. This provided him with a new perspective on his own father’s circumstances since his father worked long hours for his family.

An influential mentor to Dr. Neviaser was Dr. Robert Ravdin. As a resident, he served under Dr. Ravdin while on his Cancer Service. Dr. Neviaser began his orthopedic residency rounds at The Columbia Medical Center in New York City. The Orthopedic Service was led by Dr. Frank Stinchfield. Initially, the writer found himself in Dr. Stinchfield’s office on a regular basis for various violations, but the chief eventually became a pivotal figure in his training and medical modeling.

Both Dr. Ravdin and Dr. Stinchfield taught him more about being a good doctor and person, interacting with patients, handling mistakes, and navigating life than many others. The writer recalls occasions where things did not go as planned and there were grave repercussions, but he shows how he learned through these events. This was evident when he was given the opportunity to train future physicians or patients. Dr. Neviaser describes his shortcomings in a very inspiring way and shows how he got expertise via his missteps. He is passing on to future generations the teachings he learned from his mentors and peers.

In 1973, he went into private practice with his father. He first sought privileges at two hospitals in Virginia and one in Maryland, as well as held a medical license in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. After a year of traveling between his home and Maryland, he concentrated completely on his Virginia practice. He took in Dr. Brent Ain as a partner after developing the practice on his own for 5 years.

As Dr. Ain’s practice began flourishing, they took on two additional orthopedists: a hand surgeon and a spine specialist. Dr. Neviaser himself is an innovator in many areas of surgery and instrument practice, including arthroscopy.

Dr. Neviaser retired from his private practice at the end of 2000. The author’s initial retirement was driven by rising government rules and restrictions, as well as the advent of HMOs. Dr. Neviaser’s frustrations with the new medical model are revealed as insurance companies took over patient care and determined what they believe is in the best interests of the patient despite the provider knowing the full scope of the patient’s information and the provider’s magnitude of medical training. He saw this as straining the doctor-patient relationship. He had a long, diverse career with many changes, thus for him to feel this strongly speaks to the issue itself.

He went back into medicine to teach residents at George Washington University at his brother’s request, who was the chief of Orthopedic Surgery there. Then he retired again in 2005. Dr. Neviaser was involved in the orthopedic community from the 1960s to 2005.

The author’s intentions in writing this book are to educate the reader about medical terminology, disease, and procedures. The book tries to educate the reader on the journey of a medical student, surgeon, and surgical expert, as well as how insurance corporations are steering clinicians away from patient-centered treatment. The points are delivered to the reader in a straightforward and effective manner, covering all subjects thoroughly.

Given his schooling and extensive history in orthopedics and the medical sector, he has become known for his work nationally and internationally including being asked to speak on his areas of expertise. In addition, the author has published works for both medical and entertainment purposes. Dr. Neviaser is exceptionally qualified to write this book.

The intended audience is the general public, though this could serve as an excellent primer for pre-medical or first-year medical students. The medical descriptions in this book are immensely detailed and informative without being dense. The author painstakingly ensures the reader understands the terms described as well as the specific terminology involved in every concept.

There is a need for a book that educates the consumer about disease processes as well as the impact insurance has had on providers and how this change has made the doctor-patient relationship more limited and thus this book is recommended. Readers would significantly benefit from understanding the account of Dr. Neviaser’s life and his experience in healthcare. He has contributed profoundly to the medical world and has given so much to his students, patients, and readers. These contributions have a ripple effect since his students will impart these lessons to their patients. His patients have been served by his compassionate care. His readers have gained insight from the education and wisdom he has given in these words and the information within these pages. Thank you to Thomas Neviaser, M.D. for allowing me to review this compassionate and sincere manuscript.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.