Boston Medical Center

Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a non-profit 514-bed academic medical center in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest safety-net hospital and Level I trauma center in New England.[1]

Boston Medical Center
Moakley Building from Harrison Avenue
Geography
LocationBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates42.3349°N 71.0735°W / 42.3349; -71.0735
Organization
Care systemPrivate, Medicare, Medicaid
TypeTeaching
Affiliated universityBoston University
Services
Emergency departmentLevel I trauma center
Beds514
History
Opened1855
Links
Websitewww.bmc.org
ListsHospitals in Massachusetts
Boston City Hospital, shown here in a 1903 photo, was one of the two institutions which merged in 1996 to form Boston Medical Center.

BMC employs 1,466 physicians—including 711 residents and fellows—and 1,849 nurses. Kathleen E. Walsh has been the president and chief executive officer since 2010.[2][3]

History

BMC was created by the formal merger in July 1996 of Boston City Hospital (BCH), the first municipal hospital in the United States, and Boston University Medical Center Hospital (BUMCH), sponsored at founding by the Methodists and then by Boston University.

Boston University School of Medicine opened its doors November 5, 1873, combining the New England Female Medical College with the medical staff of the Massachusetts Homeopathic Hospital. Dr. Israel T. Talbot was the first chairman of the Department of Surgery at BU while also serving as the first Dean of BUSM.

The history of the Department of Surgery at BU dates back to 1946, when Dr. Reginald H. Smithwick was recruited from Massachusetts General Hospital to serve as Surgeon-in-Chief. With him, he brought a team of talented surgeons, including Dr. Jesse Thompson, a pioneer in vascular surgery; Dr. Douglas Farmer, a gastrointestinal surgeon; Dr. Chester Howe, a specialist in surgical infectious disease; and Dr. George Whitelaw, a noted educator and general surgeon. Smithwick served as chairman for nearly 20 years, and was followed by Dr. Richard Egdahl who was recruited from the Medical College of Virginia in 1963. Dr. Egdahl continued to pioneer the clinical research capabilities, and later retired in 1973. In 1997, Dr. Egdahl was named the first Alexander Graham Bell Professor of Entrepreneurial Medicine at BUSM.

Following periods of leadership by Drs. Lester Williams, Peter Mozden, Robert Hobson, Edward Spatz, James Becker, and Gerard Doherty, in 2017 Jennifer F. Tseng, MD, MPH, assumed the position of Surgeon-in-Chief at Boston Medical Center and Chair and Utley Professor of Surgery at Boston University School of Medicine.

In March 2017, the Boston Medical Center announced that it had received a $25 million gift, the largest in its history, from John Grayken and his wife, Eilene. The donation will go to the creation of the Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine at BMC.[4] Michael Botticelli was named its director.[5]

Research

The Framingham Heart Study, a longitudinal study of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in collaboration with staff who are faculty at the Boston University School of Medicine, has helped obtained much of our current knowledge about heart disease.[6] The amyloidosis Center at Boston Medical Center is known internationally as a leader in basic and clinical research on amyloidosis. Notably, they pioneered the use of high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation for patients with AL amyloidosis.[7]

Fiscal Year 2019 Statistics
Number of Licensed Beds 514
Outpatient Visits 856,528
Inpatient Admissions 25,816
Attending Physicians 755
Residents and Fellows 711
Full-Time Equivalent Employees 5,976

Supporting services

The hospital has many services, extending beyond traditional medical procedures. With its long history of serving the low-income population, the hospital has programs that include:[8]

  • The Preventive Food Pantry to which doctors can write prescriptions for food for undernourished patients[9]
  • A Roof Top Farm, which supplies some of the food used by this Pantry and in BMC's cafeteria[10]
  • The bWell Center innovative approach to educating and supporting families of the Boston Medical Center Pediatrics Department.
  • Home visits to ensure patients and their families are following care instructions, and to identify problems at home which may lead to medical conditions
  • Lawyers on staff to help people navigate government assistance programs, and to deal with landlords who maintain unhealthy conditions
  • Special counseling and asylum assistance for victims of torture and political persecution
  • Training for first responders dealing with children who have witnessed violence
  • Pediatricians giving books to families with children to promote reading

Boston Medical Center (BMC) HealthNet Plan

BMC HealthNet plan earned the #3 rank among Medicaid plans in the nation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in its Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings, 2011–2012. Comprehensive coverage for hospital, primary care, specialty, and behavioral health care are among the benefits and services provided. The Plan also offers extras beyond traditional benefits: all members receive discounts on Weight Watchers® and fitness club memberships plus access to a 24/7 Nurse Advice Line. In addition, MassHealth members receive free car child safety seats and bike helmets for children and manual breast pumps for nursing mothers. BMC HealthNet Plan also operates Well Sense Health Plan, a Medicaid plan in New Hampshire.

Employees

Boston Medical Center employs 5,976 full-time equivalent employees, consisting of more than 1,466 in-house physicians—including 711 residents and fellows—and 1,849 nurses.

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See also

References
  1. Boston Medical Center website
  2. Pfeiffer, Sacha (January 5, 2010). "Boston Medical Center Names New CEO". WBUR News. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  3. "Kathleen E.Walsh". BUSPH. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  4. Pfeiffer, Sacha (March 6, 2017). "$25m gift to Boston Medical Center will help launch opioid center". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  5. Pfeiffer, Sacha (March 22, 2017). "Boston Medical Center picks ex-Obama drug czar to run opioid center". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
  6. "History of the Framingham Heart Study". Framingham Heart Study. 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
  7. "Amyloidosis Center – Accomplishments". Boston University School of Medicine. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
  8. Boston Medical Center Documentary (from the WBUR Newsroom)
  9. "Preventive Food Pantry". Boston Medical Center. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  10. Toy, Sarah (October 31, 2017). "Not a fan of hospital food? Hospitals are working to change that by growing their own produce". USA Today. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  11. Kowalczyk, Liz (20 September 2018). "3 Boston hospitals reach $1 million settlement over patient privacy in ABC series". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  12. Chuba, Kirsten (22 September 2017). "'Stronger': 5 of the Film's Stars and Their Real-Life Inspirations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  13. Jorgenson, Todd (21 September 2017). "Gyllenhaal's Struggle Was Real Playing a Boston Bombing Survivor in Stronger - D Magazine". D Magazine. Retrieved 26 November 2018.

Further reading
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