BMC Health System Leads Innovations in Cardiac Care

Equitable rehab, new disease models, and cutting-edge tech reshape heart health

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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Boston Medical Center (BMC) is pioneering new approaches to cardiac care, including achieving statistically identical attendance rates for cardiac rehabilitation across low- and high-income patients, introducing a framework for 'cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome' to detect risk earlier, leveraging community-driven research to design inclusive innovations, expanding robotic cardiac surgery, and integrating wearable data to enhance preventive cardiology.

Why it matters

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., affecting nearly half of all adults. BMC's initiatives aim to make life-saving cardiac care more equitable, interdisciplinary, and technologically advanced - serving as a model for other health systems to follow.

The details

BMC has achieved equal cardiac rehab attendance rates across income groups, proving 'high-touch' care can be delivered without financial bias. Their CKM syndrome framework links heart, kidney, and metabolic health to flag cardiovascular mortality risk earlier. The hospital also hosts community-driven research to ensure new wearables, therapies, and remote tools reach underserved areas. Additionally, BMC expanded robotic cardiac surgery and is piloting a platform merging wearable data into patient portals for real-time health monitoring.

  • In 2023, BMC nephrology fellow Sophie Claudel introduced the CKM syndrome framework.
  • In October, BMC hosted the Advancing Medicine Research Symposium to highlight community-informed product design.
  • In January 2026, the FDA expanded clearance for BMC's da Vinci 5 robotic system to include cardiac procedures.
  • Early pilots of BMC's wearable data integration platform showed a 20% increase in medication adherence.

The players

Sophie Claudel

A BMC nephrology fellow who introduced the CKM syndrome framework, linking heart disease, kidney decline, and metabolic disorders, and earned a STAT 2025 Wunderkinds award for validating the concept.

Dr. Michael O'Connor

A surgeon who brought the da Vinci 5 robotic system to BMC-Brighton, making it one of only five New England hospitals with the advanced technology.

Boston Medical Center (BMC)

A leading academic medical center in Boston that is pioneering new approaches to cardiac care, including equitable rehabilitation, interdisciplinary disease models, community-driven research, robotic surgery, and wearable data integration.

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What’s next

BMC's research teams are continuing to pilot their platform that merges heart-rate trends, blood-pressure readings, and CKM stage scores into a single patient portal, aiming to give both clinicians and patients a real-time health score.

The takeaway

By addressing equity, embracing interdisciplinary science, and leveraging cutting-edge technology, BMC is reshaping the future of cardiac care - moving away from a 'treat-then-prevent' model and towards a 'prevent-then-treat' approach that can serve as a roadmap for other health systems.