Cultivating a Quality Culture
By Roz Burke, Senior Vice President Global Quality and Regulatory
Across Boston Scientific, our teams are united by a mission to deliver innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. Upholding the highest standards of quality is paramount to fulfilling this commitment.
Many people think of policies and procedures as the guiding force of quality excellence. While these structures and standards are critical, a culture focused on quality is also paramount to success. All employees must feel personally invested in the impact we have on the 30 million patients our products help treat each year.
Our annual Everyone Makes an Impact (EMAI) events are one way we connect our 35,000 employees to the patients we reach. At 50 Boston Scientific sites around the world, from Valencia to Costa Rica to Clonmel, all onsite employees convene to hear patients and caregivers relay how our products have impacted their lives.
The events are emotional, powerful and send a clear message, that all employees, regardless of where we work or what we do for the company, make a difference.
In Minnesota, employees gathered under the largest tent in state history and heard from Mike, who found out about his own genetic heart condition after his mom’s sudden cardiac arrest from the same disease. Mike’s S-ICD gives him—and his family—the comfort of knowing he’s protected while he honors his mother’s legacy by sharing their stories.
In Heredia, Indira shared her story of living with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. While onsite, Indira met the 140 employees who worked on the three Boston Scientific devices used to diagnosis and treat her condition.
In Massachusetts, we heard from Lisa and her husband Tom. Before receiving DBS for her Parkinson’s disease, Lisa relied on 13 medications to walk and still suffered erratic movements. But, in late September, Lisa walked on stage, tremor free, to share her story.
There is no substitute for these moments.
Our quality commitment means that each of us takes responsibility for our goal: to “improve the quality of patient care and all things Boston Scientific.” EMAI helps bring that to life, and we carry those memories with us all year long.
