Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

514-bed

academic medical center An academic medical centre (AMC), variously also known as academic health science centre, academic health science system, or academic health science partnership, is an educational and healthcare institute formed by the grouping of a health profess ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. It is the largest safety-net hospital and Level I

trauma center A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma center may also refer to an emerge ...

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

. BMC employs 1,466

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

s—including 711 residents and

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

s—and 1,849

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

s. Kathleen E. Walsh has been the president and chief executive officer since 2010.

History

BMC was created by the formal merger in July 1996 of Boston City Hospital (BCH), the first

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergen ...

in the United States, and

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

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 Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...

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 Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and T ...

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. Michael Botticelli was named its director.

Research

The

Framingham Heart Study The Framingham Heart Study is a long-term, ongoing cardiovascular cohort study of residents of the city of Framingham, Massachusetts. The study began in 1948 with 5,209 adult subjects from Framingham, and is now on its third generation of partic ...

, a longitudinal study of the

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the third largest Institute of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is tasked with allocating about $3.6 billion in FY 2020 in tax revenue t ...

in collaboration with staff who are faculty at the

Boston University School of Medicine The Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, formerly the Boston University School of Medicine, is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1848, the medical school was the first institution in the world t ...

, has helped obtained much of our current knowledge about heart disease. The

amyloidosis Amyloidosis is a group of diseases in which abnormal proteins, known as amyloid fibrils, build up in tissue. There are several non-specific and vague signs and symptoms associated with amyloidosis. These include fatigue, peripheral edema, weig ...

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 Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemother ...

and stem cell transplantation for patients with AL amyloidosis.

Fiscal year 2019 statistics

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: * The Preventive Food Pantry to which doctors can write prescriptions for food for undernourished patients * A Roof Top Farm, which supplies some of the food used by this Pantry and in BMC's cafeteria * 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 Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and per ...

plans in the nation from the

National Committee for Quality Assurance The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States that works to improve health care quality through the administration of evidence-based standards, measures, programs, and ...

(NCQA) in its Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings, 2011–2012. Comprehensive coverage for hospital,

primary care Primary care is the day-to-day healthcare given by a health care provider. Typically this provider acts as the first contact and principal point of continuing care for patients within a healthcare system, and coordinates other specialist care ...

, specialty, and

behavioral health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental 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 seat A child safety seat, sometimes called an infant safety seat, child restraint system, child seat, baby seat, car seat, or a booster seat, is a seat designed specifically to protect children from injury or death during vehicle collisions. Most c ...

s 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

s—including 711 residents and

s—and 1,849

In popular culture

and the Boston Medical Center serve as the setting for Robin Cook's bestselling novel ''

Coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

'', as well as the film of the same name directed by

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...

. *Boston Medical Center was one of three hospitals used to film the television documentary series '' Save My Life: Boston Trauma'' (2014), airing on ABC. The hospital was also one of several later sued in a lawsuit over privacy concerns related to the filming. *The biographical drama film '' Stronger'' (2017) centers around Jeff Bauman (played by

Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...

), a victim of the Boston Marathon Bombing who suffers traumatic injuries to both legs and must undergo an emergency double amputation. His medical care and subsequent recovery take place at Boston Medical Center.

References

External links

Boston Medical Center

Boston University Medical Campus

Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan

Boston Medical Center Documentary
By Rachel Gotbaum. WBUR. 2006 audio documentary on the 10th anniversary of the merger, describing history and innovative programs of BMC. (RealAudio) {{authority control Hospitals in Boston Boston University Medical Campus Teaching hospitals in Massachusetts Hospitals established in 1996 Non-profit organizations based in Boston South End, Boston Trauma centers