An HBO Documentary Comes to MedStar Health

Guest Blogger
Katie Carlin, MBA
Senior Director, Business Development and Planning
MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety (MIQS)

September 19 is an evening I will never forget. MedStar Health welcomed writer, comedian and director, Steve Burrows to lead a screening of his award-winning HBO documentary, Bleed Out. The harrowing film follows the personal journey of the Burrows family after a routine hip replacement surgery leaves Steve’s mother, Judie, in a coma with permanent brain damage. What starts as a personal video diary becomes a 10-year account of the deep problems of America’s current healthcare system with a focus on medical error – the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

Confronted with agonizing “deny and defend” practices by the treating healthcare system, the documentary serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and open and honest communication with patients and families.  At MedStar, we work hard every day to establish a culture of safety and high reliability and after viewing Bleed Out we are reminded just how important it is to “do the right thing.” After viewing the film, Steve and his wife Margo took part in a poignant question and answer session and most memorable, received a standing ovation from the MedStar leaders for their courageous work.

For me personally, I reflect on the evening with great pride as it reinforces the resilient vision and effort of our leaders, nurses, doctors, front-line staff, and quality and safety researchers who help MedStar continually improve - CANDOR implementation, “We Want to Know,” Improving Patient Safety in Primary Care, and many other quality and safety research projects that extend across the National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, MHRI, Mi2, and MIQS are a testament to MedStar’s unique research and innovation environment.

For Steve, this is what he had to say:
“We were utterly astonished to receive a standing ovation for BLEED OUT from the esteemed doctors and executives that make up the MedStar leadership.

And we are moved by MedStar's incredible philosophy in how they practice medicine. This is how it's supposed be, folks. It was an evening we will NEVER forget. #WeStandWithJudie”

I encourage you to see the film – available on HBO and Amazon Prime and reach out to the MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety (MIQSinfo@medstar.net if you would like to bring a screening to your site!