News Releases

December 19, 2011

Hospitals invest heavily in new heart attack care programs but fail to improve access

In a new study, researchers have found a 44 percent increase since 2001 in the number of hospitals that offer definitive emergency care to patients with heart attack, but only a 1 percent increase in access to that care. The study, led by Thomas W. Concannon, PhD, Assistant Professor Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine, will be published January 1, 2012 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association.

Joint Statement from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Tufts Medical Center and New England Quality Care Alliance

Tufts Medical Center, its community physician network and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts are committed to reaching agreement on a new contract. Leadership of the organizations have spoken today and agreed to continue discussions and use a third-party during this process. Both organizations are dedicated to negotiating a contract that ensures our members and patients can continue their relationships with their doctors and their health plan.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts walks away from negotiations with Tufts MC and 1,500 community physicians
Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children announced today that Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Massachusetts has walked away from negotiations with the Medical Center and 1,500 physicians - potentially disrupting care for more than 200,000 patients across Eastern Massachusetts.

Researchers identify a genetic mutation associated with high risk of age-related macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe visual loss among the elderly. Researchers had previously identified several relatively common genetic variants which together predict a person’s increased risk for AMD, but a significant number of persons without the disease also have these variants. Now, for the first time, investigators have been able to clearly show a specific rare mutation called CFH R1210C that predicts a very high risk of disease and is extremely uncommon among individuals who do not have the disease.

October 11, 2011
Tufts Medical Center names Richard H. Karas, MD, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer 

Internationally esteemed researcher, clinician and teacher, Richard H. Karas, MD, PhD, has been named Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Tufts Medical Center. Karas, a Tufts MC cardiologist and globally recognized expert in coronary artery disease in women, preventive cardiology and cholesterol and lipid management, had held the title of Interim CSO since July, 2010.

Free screening program for Boston women to help remove barriers to early cervical and breast cancer diagnosis 

See, Test & Treat™, a free breast and cervical cancer screening program sponsored by Tufts Medical Center, the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the Massachusetts affiliate for Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®, and the New England Chapter of the American Cancer Society, will be held at Tufts Medical Center on Saturday, October 15, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, during National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Tufts Medical Center has tapped highly respected physician and educator Jeffrey T. Kuvin, MD as the new physician leader for its Graduate Medical Education program. Dr. Kuvin will serve as Associate Chief Medical Officer for Graduate Medical Education, effective October 1, 2011.  He will also assume the roles of Designated Institutional Officer for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and Chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee.

July 28, 2011

Tufts Medical Center Has Boston’s Top Doctors

81 Tufts Medical Center physicians in 36 specialties have been recognized as “Top Doctors” on the U.S. News & World Report website.  In addition, 39 of those doctors were further honored with the distinction of ranking among the top 1% in the nation in their respective specialty. 

July 21, 2011
Tufts Medical Center names Eric Beyer as new President and CEO
Tufts Medical Center announced that Eric J. Beyer has been selected as its next President and Chief Executive Officer – assuming leadership of the hospital at the end of September as outgoing President and CEO Ellen Zane retires. Beyer has been President and CEO of the Tufts Medical Center Physicians Organization since 2005, and in this role he has been a key architect of the hospital’s strategy throughout his tenure.

July 13

Tufts Medical Center researchers and collaborators

Find two new genetic clues to development of macular degeneration

Tufts Medical Center researchers and collaborators from around the world have found two new genetic variants that influence the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in elderly individuals. The variants were identified in the largest meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies ever conducted for the disease, which is published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics. 

July 5, 2011

July 1, 2011

Twin study shows lifestyle, diet can significantly influence course of macular degeneration among individuals with the same genetic susceptibility            

June 6, 2011
Tufts MC physician honored for dedication to HCM patients
Martin S. Maron, MD, a cardiologist and director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at Boston-based Tufts Medical Center, was voted Clinician of the Year by members of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA) announced today by Lisa Salberg, CEO and founder of the HCMA at the organization’s 14^th annual meeting.

March 3, 2011
Working Wonders for Tufts Medical Center honors Dr. Henry H. Banks, Dr. Lawrence S. Bacow and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern New England

Working Wonders for Tufts Medical Center, presented by ARAMARK Healthcare, celebrated champions of the Medical Center community during a benefit evening last night, Wednesday, March 2, at the Westin Copley Place in Boston. Proceeds from the 8^th annual Working Wonders event went to support care and research at Tufts Medical Center. 

February 24, 2011
Medicare continues to impose conditions when covering new technologies
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the government agency that administers the Medicare program, made 11 National Coverage Determinations (NCDs) for medical technologies and procedures in 2010. NCDs permit or prohibit Medicare coverage for new technologies on a nationwide basis. Since Medicare is the largest single purchaser of healthcare in the country, these decisions have far-ranging effects, influencing health coverage by private plans and the development of medical technologies. 

January 1, 2011
Tufts Medical Center names Dr. Barbarajean Magnani Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Tufts Medical Center has named Barbarajean Magnani PhD, MD, FCAP, to serve as Chair and Pathologist-in-Chief of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Tufts Medical Center and Associate Chair of Pathology at Tufts University School of Medicine.