After five years and visits to 17 specialists who could not diagnose his illness, intelligence analyst Randolph Pherson's family doctor sent him to the emergency room because he had a "look of gloom" on his face. The ER doctors dismissed him twice, but he refused to go home, believing his condition was becoming dire. They acquiesced, scheduled him for a simple procedure, and told him he would drive himself home the next day. That did not happen. He was scheduled instead for major surgery the next morning that saved his life.

The author learned a lot about how the medical system operates in the United States over the five years of his sojourn. This book condenses what he learned into 16 actions a person can and should take to ensure quality health care. The author describes five analytic techniques to spur a correct diagnosis, five obstacles most people will need to overcome when seeking treatment, and six tips for building an effective partnership with your doctor.

The purpose of the book is to help others to live to tell their stories by applying the lessons learned during the author's journey by applying the techniques intelligence analysts use. The author is convinced that more people would have lived if they had adopted this advice and resisted current systemic pressures to treat illness and not diagnose them.