The High Stakes of the Waiting List A phone rings at the scheduling desk of a major metropolitan cardiac center. On the other end of the line is a patient who has been experiencing worsening chest pain, waiting for a coronary artery bypass graft. The scheduler, juggling three other holding lines while trying to coordinate with the intensive care unit coordinator and the lead surgeon, promises to call back once a slot opens up. This scene plays out thousands of times a day across the healthcar...