Boston Medical Center
Encyclopedia
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It was created by the formal merger of Boston City Hospital
Boston City Hospital
The Boston City Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and .....
(BCH) which was the first municipal hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in the United States and Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
Medical Center Hospital (BUMCH) in July 1996 which was sponsored at founding by the Methodists and then by Boston University. BCH was founded in 1855, and BUMCH in 1864. It has the largest 24-hour Level I trauma center
Trauma center
A trauma center is a hospital equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries. Trauma centers grew into existence out of the realization that traumatic injury is a disease process unto itself requiring specialized and experienced...
in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, and the Emergency Department
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
had more than 131,000 visits in 2009.
BMC employs more than 1,200 in-house physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s — including 777 residents
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
and fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
s — and 1,600 nurses. BMC is the primary teaching affiliate of the Boston University School of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1848, the medical school holds the unique distinction as the first institution in the world to formally educate female physicians. Originally known as the New England Female Medical College, it was...
.
Patient care
Boston Medical Center provides a comprehensive range of inpatient, clinical and diagnostic services in more than 70 areas of medical specialties and subspecialties, including cardiac care and surgery, hypertensionHypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
, neurological care, orthopedics
Orthopedics
Orthopedics is the study of the musculoskeletal system. The Greek word 'ortho' means straight or correct and 'pedics' comes from the Greek 'pais' meaning children. For many centuries, orthopedists have been involved in the treatment of crippled children...
, geriatrics
Geriatrics
Geriatrics is a sub-specialty of internal medicine and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician, or...
and Women’s health.
| Total Licensed Beds | 639 |
|---|---|
| Medicine/Surgery beds | 350 (22 out of service) |
| Obstetrics/Gynecology beds | 37 |
| Intensive and Coronary Care beds | 62 |
| Neonatal Intensive Care beds | 15 |
| Pediatric Intensive Care beds | 6 |
| Pediatric beds | 30 |
| Rehabilitation beds | 24 (12 out of service) |
| Chronic Care beds | 100 (all out of service) |
| Psychiatry beds | 15 (all out of service) |
Supporting services
The hospital offers an unusually broad array of services, extending beyond traditional medical procedures. With its long history of serving the low-income population, the hospital has targeted innovative programs at certain categories of special needs which disproportionately affect this demographic. These include:- A food pantry against which doctors can write prescriptions for undernourished patients
- 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
The hospital offers the most extensive interpreter services program in New England. In addition to providing person-to-person interpreters on-site in more than 30 languages, 24-hours-a-day, the department utilizes the latest advances in technology such as telephonic and video interpreting. In 2008, interpreter services assisted in more than 197,400 interactions with patients and visitors.
Boston Medical Center also offers numerous outreach programs and services, including skin cancer screenings, cholesterol tests, blood pressure screenings, prostate cancer screenings, osteoporosis
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is deteriorating, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone is altered...
screenings, eye exams, smoking cessation
Smoking cessation
Smoking cessation is the process of discontinuing the practice of inhaling a smoked substance. This article focuses exclusively on cessation of tobacco smoking; however, the methods described may apply to cessation of smoking other substances that can be difficult to stop using due to the...
counseling and flu shots. In addition, cancer education and prevention seminars are offered in the community, and youth outreach workers are trained for involvement in schools and health fairs.
Teaching and affiliations
Boston Medical Center is the principal teaching affiliate of Boston University School of MedicineBoston University School of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1848, the medical school holds the unique distinction as the first institution in the world to formally educate female physicians. Originally known as the New England Female Medical College, it was...
. Every member of the hospital’s medical and dental staff holds an academic appointment at the Boston University School of Medicine or at the Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Goldman School of Dental Medicine
The Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine is the dental school at Boston University. Its curriculum is noted for the Applied Professional Experience Program, which gives students practical experience at a dental practice as part of clinical training. GSDM is also noted for its student and...
. Boston Medical Center operates 44 residency training programs with more than 650 resident and fellowship positions.
Research
Boston Medical Center received more than $93 million in sponsored research funding in 2008, and oversees 431 research and service projects separate from research activities at Boston University School of Medicine. The researchers at Boston Medical Center conduct both basic, laboratory-based biomedical research, and clinical research programs, including the Sickle Cell Center, infectious disease, cardiologyCardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
, vascular biology, Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, geriatrics
Geriatrics
Geriatrics is a sub-specialty of internal medicine and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician, or...
, endocrinology
Endocrinology
Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of...
and hematology
Hematology
Hematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of biology physiology, internal medicine, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases...
/oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
.
Boston Medical Center (BMC) HealthNet Plan
Boston Medical Center HealthNet PlanBoston Medical Center HealthNet Plan
is a health maintenance organization located in Massachusetts. Founded in 1997 by Boston Medical Center, the Plan manages healthcare coverage for Massachusetts residents participating in MassHealth , and Commonwealth Care -- subsidized health insurance programs for low-income individuals...
is a managed care organization founded by Boston Medical Center in 1997. Offering MassHealth and Commonwealth Care coverage, BMC HealthNet Plan serves more than 250,000 members statewide. The Plan offers comprehensive coverage and personal physicians who provide care for the whole family; interpreter services, a personal membership card, and a 24-hour nurse advice line. It also provides additional member extras beyond the state's coverage including: for MassHealth members, free car seats and bike helmets, along with manual breast pumps for nursing mothers; and for Commonwealth Care members, discounts on Weight Watchers and fitness club memberships.
Employees
Boston Medical Center employs 4,723 full-time equivalent employees, consisting of more than 1,200 in-house physicianPhysician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s — including 777 residents
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
and fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
s — and 1,600 nurses. Boston Medical Center also incorporates the ambulance service Eascare (headquartered in Dorchester) into their operation to transport patients from one campus to another.
The Yellow Pipes
The yellow pipes crossing Albany St above ground, seen in the picture above, are considered the symbol of the BMC, much like the Citgo sign for the city as a whole. The rumors that the City Hall intends to ask BMC to burrow them under the street led to an energetic wave of disapproval from disappointed BMC employees, on Twitter and Facebook.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)