Frequently Asked Questions

How did Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates get started? And what is it?

Harvard Vanguard is a non-profit multispecialty medical group practice, with fourteen locations in and around Greater Boston. Its physicians and other caregivers had been employees of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and before that Harvard Community Health Plan, which are both health plans that offer insurance coverage. The physicians and other staff of the fourteen offices decided in 1997 that they should incorporate as a separate non-profit organization in order to focus exclusively on patient care and so that patients could see the difference between their health plan (for example, Harvard Pilgrim) and their doctor (Harvard Vanguard).

Harvard Vanguard doctors are leaders in improving clinical quality and in involving patients in their own health care, which they have been doing since their practice was founded in 1969. Harvard Vanguard is a major teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

What is the Harvard Vanguard approach to health care?

Harvard Vanguard doctors and other caregivers have consistently earned the highest marks for the quality of care they provide. They have been able to achieve this success because of an intense focus on prevention, early detection of disease, and effective management of chronic illness. The group practice has invested in systems, including a unique clinical information system, that helps caregivers provide excellent care and to coordinate care extremely well.

Harvard Vanguard also places a very strong emphasis on involving patients (who wish to be involved) in decision-making about their health care. This emphasis is evident in the tools we offer our patients, the enormous variety of health classes offered free or at low cost to patients and the willingness and skill of caregivers to educate patients about health and illness. Most recently, we created a program that allows Harvard Vanguard patients to refer themselves to any Harvard Vanguard specialist without a referral from their doctor.

What does the ‘Harvard’ in the name signify?

Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates is a major teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and has this designation because so many of our physicians are actively involved in teaching Harvard Medical students and residents, both in their offices and in the major Harvard teaching hospitals. Harvard Vanguard’s affiliation with Harvard Medical School dates back to the practice’s origins: it was the brainchild of then Harvard Medical School Dean Robert Ebert. He envisioned a medical practice that would focus on preventive care, take care of all patients in the community, and provide a setting outside the hospital in which the medical school students and residents could be trained.

What advantages does self-referral to specialists have for patients?

Through our approach to specialty referrals, Harvard Vanguard patients may refer themselves to Harvard Vanguard specialists without seeking permission from their primary care physician. We established this approach to reduce concern among some patients that their access to specialists might be restricted if they are enrolled in an HMO like Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. In fact, we encourage patients to discuss their care with their personal physician who can often guide them to the right specialist. But the choice of how to proceed is the patient’s.

Massachusetts has some of the world’s best hospitals. Do Harvard Vanguard patients have access to them?

Yes. Harvard Vanguard doctors are affiliated with the area’s leading hospitals. Our principal affiliations are with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel-Deaconess Hospital, Mt. Auburn Hospital, and Children’s Hospital. In the northern and western suburbs, our doctors are affiliated with Winchester, Beverly, and Lowell General Hospitals.