Quality + Safety

At Tufts Medical Center, the patient is at the center of everything that we do. Our core commitment is to provide the highest quality of care to the patient in a safe environment. It is important that we also include the patient’s family and caregivers in the patient’s care, recognizing the importance of their support as the patient journeys through their illness.

History of Tufts Medical Center

Photograph from 1910, a mother and her children approach the entrance to the dispensary to receive the care otherwise unavailable to them.
Tufts Medical Center's tradition started in 1796. Bostonians, including patriots Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, started the Boston Dispensary. The Boston Dispensary is the third permanent medical facility in the United States and the first in New England.

Helpful Phone Numbers

General phone number: 617.636.5000

To make an appointment for an adult: 617.636.5000

To make an appointment for a child: 617.636.8100

Tufts Medical Center billing customer service: 617.591.5750 

Admitting department: 617.636.6000

Chaplain: 617.636.2500

Financial coordination: 617.636.6013 

Information desk: 617.636.6033

Interpreter services: 617.636.5547

Office of the Patient Experience: 617.636.9590

Parking office: 617.636.5580

Patient liaison: 617.636.9590

Pharmacy: 617.636.5385

Physician liaison: 617.636.3252

Pre-certification department: 617.636.7588

Pre-registration: 617.636.7866
Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday 7am to 8pm
Saturday 9am to 1pm

Public safety/Security: 617.636.7700, for emergencies call: 617.636.5100

Quality and patient safety department: 617.636.0742

Room service: 617.636.2222

Social work services: 617.636.5136

Tufts Medical Center Trust: 617.636.7656 

Volunteer Services: 617.636.1377
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Tufts Medical Center Helpful Phone Numbers

Dorchester Health Initiative

Dorchester, with a population of 143,000 people, is home to over one-fifth of all Boston residents. The population has grown as local Bostonians seeking affordable housing in an ethnically diverse neighborhood have moved into its six communities. Dorchester has also become a destination for immigrants seeking communities similar to home. The high proportion of residents of color (73% compared to 47% for Boston overall) reflects this cultural and ethnic diversity; however, because of language and cultural barriers, healthcare disparities, and other socioeconomic factors, Dorchester experiences a disproportionate burden of health challenges.

Tufts Medical Center established the Dorchester Health Initiative (DHI) in 2004 to address health issues disproportionately affecting residents of the various Dorchester neighborhoods. Through the DHI, Tufts MC provides grant funding to innovative programs addressing the priority health needs of the Dorchester community identified with the assistance of the DHI Advisory Committee, comprised of community stakeholders with experience in serving the needs of Dorchester residents.

Since its inception, program topics funded by DHI have included asthma, infant mortality, violence, substance use, cardiovascular disease, healthy lifestyles/habits, and nutrition.

COVID-19 Response Initiative

The COVID-19 pandemic reached Boston in March 2020 and led to widespread challenges among Boston residents with food insecurity, financial and job instability, social-emotional distresses, and more. As governments issued stay-at-home orders, social and economic activities ground to a halt, and local businesses were severely impacted – particularly small, independent businesses that are part of the fabric of their communities.

To strengthen further its commitment to its partner communities, Tufts Medical Center in April 2020 began an ongoing dialogue with community members and institutions in Chinatown, Dorchester, South Boston, and the local Asian community about the needs arising from the pandemic.

Several priorities emerged through these conversations, cutting across all communities:

  • Financial stability and economic opportunities for individuals and families
  • Access to sufficient, safe, and healthy food
  • Access to providers who can support community members’ social and emotional wellness
  • Resources to enable community-based nonprofits to meet greater demand for services and in new ways (e.g. virtual programming)
  • Resources to support local businesses, which are significant employers and cultural institutions
  • Access to knowledge, guidance, and resources for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19

In response to the needs mentioned above, the Office of Community Benefits and Community Health Initiatives (CBCHI) initiated two rounds of competitive grant initiatives for organizations in the neighborhoods of Chinatown, Dorchester, South End, and South Boston in 2020 and 2021. In May 2020, we launched the COVID-19 Community Needs Request for Proposal (RFP), which resulted in almost $300,000 distributed among 23 community organizations addressing short- and medium-term COVID-19 related needs. In June 2021, we initiated the Community Relief and Recovery RFP focused on continuous and sustainable economic recovery, which is supporting 22 organizations with $700,000.

 Tufts Medical Center pharmacist preparing COVID-19 vaccine.

Community Benefits and Community Health Initiatives

Tufts Medical Center established the Office of Community Benefits and Community Health Initiatives (CBCHI) to respond to the challenges of an increasingly complex healthcare delivery environment, to meet the changing needs of Tufts Medical Center's diverse patient population and to focus on public health and disease prevention.

CBCHI coordinates and facilitates a range of community-oriented activities, promotes collaborative efforts, and provides technical assistance to Tufts Medical Center departments in their community health outreach and improvement efforts.

In addition to reporting on the Medical Center's community benefits activities, it provides funding and technical support for health education, outreach, and prevention projects at local community-based organizations and health centers. We organize community outreach participation and efforts and seek to improve the overall health, well-being and health knowledge of residents in the communities the hospital serves.

Tufts Medical Center is committed to improving the health and well-being of, and to reducing health disparities and inequities in, the communities we serve. We seek to identify current and emerging health needs, collaborate with community partners, provide culturally and linguistically appropriate health services and resources, and address community health needs through education, prevention, and treatment.

 Tufts Medical Center Infusion Center patient speaks with Krista Tucker, RN, during treatment.
We're dedicated to improving the health of members of our communities.

Asian Community

We have a long, rich history of serving the region’s neediest residents, dating back to the founding of the Boston Dispensary in 1796. We are committed and uniquely positioned to provide the culturally and linguistically appropriate services to best serve our diverse patient population, which includes patients of all ages and nationalities, hailing from locations near and far. Referring physicians, patients and family members are vital members of our multi-faceted team that addresses complex health issues and are intimately involved in care decisions.

We have enjoyed longstanding partnerships with a wide variety of community-based organizations through the Asian Health Initiative and have established programs dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of our neighbors in the Asian community, including primary care, perinatal care, psychiatry and other services.

For appointment scheduling in Chinese, call 617.636.8833. Visit our Community Benefits and Community Health Initiatives webpage for additional information about community programs and partnerships.

 Tufts Medical Center's Jenny Ruan, MD, OBGYN doctor, sits in a cafe in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood.
Tufts Medical Center is located in the heart of Boston’s Chinatown – a culturally, historically and linguistically vibrant community. As an internationally respected teaching hospital, we pride ourselves on the high-quality, compassionate and patient-centered care we provide.

Your Room + Unit

At Tufts Medical Center, we want patients to enjoy quality health care in a comfortable, peaceful environment. If another patient, staff member, or visitor is too noisy, let someone on your care team know. Please also remember the other patients around you. By keeping conversations and TV volume low, you can make a huge difference in another person’s care experience.
A peaceful and calm environment for our patients.

What to Bring With You

You may want to bring:

  • Photo identification – This is to protect you and your personal information from medical theft and fraud, which is drastically on the rise in the US and internationally. It is our obligation to protect you by asking to identify yourself by providing your name and date of birth, and to verify this information by reviewing a government issued ID.
  • Your insurance card if applicable
  • A copy of any Health Care Proxy, Advanced Directive, Guardianship in Place or other applicable legal documents related to your health care wishes
  • Books, magazines or other reading materials
  • Favorite pajamas and slippers
  • Favorite foods or snacks (if permitted)
  • Cellphone charger
  • Family photos
  • A list of all medications you are currently taking (see below)

Please do not bring jewelry, large sums of cash, credit cards, electrical appliances and anything else you would deem valuable. The Medical Center cannot assume responsibility for any personal possessions. If you must bring valuables or large sums of money, they may be secured by Public Safety in the dispatch safe for the duration of your stay. To reach Public Safety, please call 617.636.7700.

Your medications list

Please make sure to bring a list of all medications you are currently taking. We ask that you not bring actual medications with you; however, if you do, we will hold them in a safe location until you are discharged. It is important that we know about both prescriptions and over-the-counter medications like Tylenol, Motrin and/or any vitamins or other supplements you take. If you are unsure of the doses or the names of the medications, your pharmacy or your primary care physician may need to be contacted to obtain the information.

Please let us know if you have any food or drug allergies and what kind of allergic reaction you experience. It is important that we have all this information so that you receive the safest and most appropriate care possible.
We understand that your hospital stay can be stressful, and we encourage you to bring a few personal items that will make your experience at Tufts Medical Center more comfortable.