When Steve Burrows’ mother, Judie, fell into a coma after a routine hip surgery, he was afraid she would never wake up.  Questioning Judie’s care during surgery, Steve discovered his mother was one of an alarming number of patients in the US who are harmed by medical error.  His personal video diary of Judie’s recovery mushroomed into a ten-year, multi-layered investigation into the state of American health care laid bare in the documentary film, “Bleed Out”—Steve’s hair-raising search for the truth about what happened to his mother’s care.  A former member of the Groundlings theater company famous for his popular comedy film “Chump Change,” Steve says “Bleed Out” isn’t a film he wanted to make but a film he needed to make.  Joining him on the show to talk about how the film evolved and how it will be used to promote accountability in healthcare is producer Ilan Arboleda (Creative Chaos), who Steve met after he’d shot many years of footage, gathered in part for a medical malpractice lawsuit brought on his mother’s behalf.  Steve talks about juggling his show business career with flying back and forth between LA and Milwaukee to care for his mother, how his wife supported him during a time when Steve felt his sense of humor fading and why none of us can afford to blindly trust doctors.

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“Bleed Out” debuts on HBO on Monday, December 17, 2018.

Learn more about the film: HBO Documentaries
Watch the trailer: