Storyline revolves around a long term scam to extract money from patients and insurance company. Not simply convincing people they need surgery and then performing unnecessary operations - but going a step further. Diagnosing non-existent problems, then NOT performing surgery but pretending and billing
as if they did. Patients are told they need surgery, all the medical records and test results are faked to validate the diagnosis. Then the patient check into the hospital, gets doped up, maybe gets some incisions (and quickly stitched up again), then spends a day or two in a recovery ward. Follow-up recovery/therapy visits too. All this is billed to insurance.
The scheme requires everyone to be playing the long game - extensive collusion for years between medical professionals, hospitals, and even some segments of the insurance industry. But it starts to unravel when ONE victim changes doctors and their faux medical records don't transfer properly. Guy does for a follow-up a year after heart surgery, new doctor can't find any evidence that it was ever done (except for a few superficial scars on the rib cage), and makes the mistake of telling the patient.
This inspires the patient to start a long investigative journey involving shadowy conspiracies between lots of agencies, chase scenes, and ending up with them being killed in some ironic way - perhaps during REAL surgery required after a car crash ending one of those chases.
I can't do more than sketch the general idea there - Philp K. Dick could have written it properly. But does anyone REALLY believe he died of a stroke?
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PS: Inspired by a true story? Today is the one year anniversary of my mitral valve repair. Or is it really?
PPS: I'm feeling fine, thanks for asking.