Interviews with Disclosure & Apology Leaders: Steve Burrows of "Bleed Out"

Sometime back in 2020 a friend strongly suggested I watch the HBO documentary "Bleed Out."  In short, I was blown away.  Comedian Steve Burrows did a masterful job sharing how a botched operation left his mom with permanent brain damage and how the medical community failed to own their mistakes and further injured the Burrows family with delay, deny and defend tactics. I was introduced to Steve by the friend who urged me to watch the movie, and Steve and I have corresponded from time to time over the last year. Make no mistake, Steve has become a giant in the world of patient safety and disclosure & apology movement. Steve is a leader, and I am grateful he agreed to this interview.

SW:  Thank you, Steve, for joining us and doing this interview. You have done amazing and important work. The floor is yours today.  Tell us what led you to create "Bleed Out." 

SB:  You are welcome, and I am glad to be communicating directly with Sorry Works! readers. So, I never intended to make a documentary. In fact, I never dreamed of making a documentary because I am a comedian, and we don't do documentaries. I was, instead, creating "day in the life footage" for our personal injury case against the hospital and physicians. Luckily, I had filmed many parts of my mom's care in our fight to get answers for our lawsuit. I had recorded everything, including depositions for trial, and I even had undercover spy pen interviews with physicians involved in mom's care. This was a 10-year saga, yet it wasn't until year five or six that I realized the real potential for a documentary.  

I have all the respect in the world for the HBO people. It would have been very easy for them to say "no" or take a pass on this project. HBO's lawyers spent a year working with me to vet every word and picture/image in the movie. They wanted everything backed up and documented for their protection and my protection and we gave them everything. We formed a strong bond with the HBO team. When "Bleed Out" was released HBO said they expected a dozen or more frivolous lawsuits, but they were not worried because we had all the medical and legal documentation and evidence assembled.  

HBO also suggested I tell the story in the present tense, so that viewers feel like they are on the journey with my family, in the moment. That great note was absolutely crucial to the success of the movie.  

SW: So, talk about “Bleed Out’s" release in 2018. What happened, good and bad? 

SB: I did receive a few threatening phone calls from some of the physician’s attorneys involved in mom's care, and the hospital system -- Aurora Health -- wanted to review the documentary prior to the release. HBO politely told Aurora "no" and said they could watch the movie when it was released to the general public.  

The movie went live and it literally went "kaboom" in the first month. For some reason it resonated with people and viewership grew quickly thanks to word-of-mouth. To date, “Bleed Out” has been viewed 15 million times.  Moreover, HBO just renewed the movie for an additional three years, which is rare in the industry as most documentaries have a short shelf life. Finally, I have received over 15,000 positive notes and messages, including many e-mails from physicians and nurses.  So many healthcare professionals from all over the country that had nothing to do with any of this have personally apologized to me for the medical errors that injured mom and also apologized for how our family was treated post-event.  Doctors and nurses said my mom represents every patient injured by poor medical care, and I represent all the family members seeking answers, accountability, and better care for our loved ones.  

I did receive a letter from Aurora's then-CEO (he has since been replaced). The letter was nice but weird. Talked about their respect for my love for my mother and how I told her story. There was no actual apology but, instead, the text alluded that something bad happened to my family at their hospital, but in the end there was no accountability or transparency. It seemed like Aurora was still in denial.  

SW:  I too have received apologies from numerous healthcare professionals all around the country for my brother's case. Those words are so meaningful and healing.  So, as you reflect back on your mom, the lawsuit, the movie, and life going forward, what are some thoughts and themes you can share with us?

SB:  First, when the medical errors happened to mom I thought we were all alone. I had no understanding medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, and I knew nothing of the patient safety movement.  My family and I were literally lost in a dark maze. I imagine most people facing adverse medical events feel like I felt --- hopefully Bleed Out can raise awareness and help people navigate these treacherous waters.

Second, medical errors almost always involve an unintentional act of harm which is too often followed by intentional acts of harm.  The unintentional act is the error itself because no doctor or nurse goes to work hoping to harm patients. The intentional acts, however, are the lies, coverups, and deceit following the medical errors.  These intentional acts can even cause greater harm by freezing people in their grief (they can't move on with life because they don't have answers) and tearing apart families.  My Uncle Ted is a physician; he quickly figured out medical errors caused mom's brain damage and that the docs were trying to hide their mistakes. Uncle Ted encouraged me to pursue litigation.  Right before trial, however, Uncle Ted got cold feet and lied under oath during his deposition -- I haven't spoken to him since that horrible day. Our family has been fractured ever since.

Third, there never would have been a lawsuit or a documentary movie had Aurora been open, said "sorry," fixed their mistakes, and offered to take care of mom's needs. I just wanted what was in my mom's best interest. By not being accountable or transparent, the hospital and doctors angered our family which led to a costly 7 year legal fight and now a famous documentary that casts them in a very poor light. Honesty would have produced a completely different outcome for the hospital, their physicians, our family, and theirs. 

SW: My mom often says the same thing...if the hospital and doctors had only apologized for Jim's death and showed us how they were going to fix their mistakes we never would have filed a lawsuit.  And I have heard that same story from so many other people, both in the negative and positive sense (they said "sorry" and fixed my problems so there was no reason to sue).  So, where are you at now with Aurora Health System?  Have you received any more communications beyond that weird letter?

SB: So, Aurora merged with Advocate Health, and the former Advocate CEO -- Jim Skogsbergh -- is now the new CEO of the joint venture. I have met with Jim and his team twice, and Jim has promised to always tell me the truth. I have told Jim the door is open for meaningful reconciliation and the world is watching. So, we are continuing to communicate and hopefully working towards bringing some real good out of this tragic story. We will see what happens, and I will keep you posted. 

SW: We wish you the best in your future discussions with Aurora Health and much success in your patient safety efforts.  Please keep us posted.

SB: You bet!  Thanks again for the interview.

Final note: As many Sorry Works! readers know, my family reconciled with the hospital where my brother Jim died. I was able to visit the hospital and learn about their safety fixes. They apologized for Jim's death.  Moreover, I was invited to help develop their disclosure & apology program and also become a member of their patient safety committee.  I gave several presentations to staff and leadership, and attended numerous meetings within the hospital system. These empathic acts brought closure to our family and I wish something similar for Steve and his family.  

Sincerely,

- Doug

Doug Wojcieszak, Founder & President
Sorry Works, a 501c3 organization
618-559-8168 (direct dial)
doug@sorryworks.net
@sorryworks