Over the weekend I attended the Boston Medical Center gala. In many ways, it was a typical fundraising dinner. A local newscaster emceed, the mayor of Boston spoke, and we ate wan chicken entrees.
What made the event memorable and even emotional, though, was a video montage of patient stories. Screens throughout the hall showed three BMC patients with complicated illnesses and how their doctors helped them overcome problems. Then, the lights went back on and the patients came on stage to a standing ovation.
As moved as I was by the skill and compassion of the BMC physicians, I couldn’t help but notice that all the cases involved surgeons. Certainly, removing a tumor provides dramatic before and after images, but what about the medical interventions? Where are the heroes of the Department of Medicine who demonstrate BMC’s mission of “exceptional care without exception?”