Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates

Worst experience ever. They have the meanest most unprofessional staff. I called before choosing my PCP and made sure I can get referral for a specific specialist. They told me they can! (big lie!!) but they need me to come visit with the PCP first. So I go ahead add that PCP to my insurance, register to be part of their (un efficient, unprofessional hospital) just to be told at the end of my visit that they would only refer me to drs in their hospital! this was not a mystery to the hospital associate I talked with on the phone (unless she was completely incompetent with her responsibility to answer patients question). It is such a shame that great internal medicine drs work in such an unreliable untrustworthy hospital.
I have a plantar fasciitis and most likely I am gonna get a per of custom made orthodics that would cost $ 450 and is not covered by insurance. This is a big investment and I rather have a chance to choose the specialist who would provide this for me. (certainly not the sport medicine dr they made an appointment with for me!)
I would try my best to inform my friends and colleges about the faulty referral system in HVM. Why would you have to force people to see your specialist if they are not in need of some sort of in system referral to fill up their empty schedule. I think this speaks for the quality of the service you can expect from their specialist.

Yikes. I find it disturbing when the doctors seem apathetic at best and selectively listen to what your concerns are. I’ve had 2 blood tests taken, both with results outside normal ranges and never received a phone call about either. No explanation as to whether I should be concerned about these ranges or seek follow up treatment. Really unhappy with this practice and definitely won’t waste my time in returning.

I’m do not go on Unilocal often but dealing with Harvard Vanguard made me feel the need to review it. The overall experience is fine. I have never had problems obtaining appointments and they are generally pretty flexible with hours and times. It is nice because I travel a lot. The doctors are nice and generally you are in and out pretty quickly. They have a great network and referrals are easy to specialists.
The problem I have with Harvard Vanguard is the constant nickle and diming that is charged to you after every visit. After every routine physical exam I can guarantee there will be something on the bill that didn’t occur, or something that was exaggerated so they could bill something out. The last time I went for a physical exam I was asked if there was anything wrong with me. I mentioned I had been having occasional stomach aches but I thought it was because of certain foods that I ate which I’m now trying to avoid. That was the extent of the conversation and then I received a bill for $ 200, after the insurance discount, for treatment for gastric issues. When the treatment was no more a discussion that I’ve been having stomach aches and I’m now trying to avoid sugary sweets. There was no treatment that occurred. And unfortunately this wasn’t the first time this occurred. I went in for a physical a previous time and had my prescription renewed for an anti-​depressant I had been on for 10 years. The doctor asked if I thought the anti-​depressant was still working and whether I thought the dosage was still appropriate. I then received a bill for a $ 90 mental health charge for that discussion with the doctor.
I like the convenience of the locations but the charges have really made me think about changing to a different practice.

Abject, systemic incompetence and negligence is the only way I can describe my experience with health care at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates. I have been through a nightmare ordeal there for 16 months now, trying to get someone there to help me. And, all the more disturbing, I spoke with Olga Litvak (the woman who «reaches out» to complaints posted here) more than a year ago — had a long conversation about my ordeal there, and she sounded so sympathetic and was going to help me, telling me, «I help people. That’s what I do.» She was supposed to help me get a new doctor (in a situation that was not possible for me to resolve myself). But incredibly, that was a YEAR ago, and she NEVER even called me back, which I think is appalling. I had to go way over her head to get that done, and now finally, after an entire year, am in the process of getting that set up.

My whole family gets cared for here and we’ve used every service available from OB/​gynecology to pharmacy, labs, radiology, pediatrics, internal med, behavioral health and even nutrition counseling. In urgent care scenarios we’ve seen doctors or NPs who aren’t primary providers and they’ve been great, too — I recommend confirming diagnoses by the NPs with your primary MD when you see them next because those are the only problems we’ve had. A few delayed/​misdiagnoses that were relatively harmless. The front desk staff are friendly and efficient, the phlebotomoists are all terrific, and the location can’t be beat.

I called at 8:00am to register as a first time patient and they had an appt for me at 9:00am. They called me right in before I could even sit down. Once in the room I was greeted by a very friendly nurse and then Dr Wood and a student named Arthur came in to speak with me and check me out. They were very thorough and informative and really took the time to understand how I was feeling and all the symptoms. They ran a strep test and came back together to speak about next steps. What I really like about this learning environment is that you dont feel like you are getting rushed through and they are much more attentive and detailed in their exam and their feedback. You are also getting 2 opinions right there on the spot. I have decided to make this my new primary care and would highly recommend them to anyone.

I recently transfered my care to HVMA-​I highly recommend them. I have seen someone in primary care, OB/​GYN, the pharmacy and lab, and I’ve had a good to great experience all around. I’ve also had to go to the Kenmore location for another procedure and was also happy.

This was our son’s pediatrician’s office until an unfortunate incident a few weeks ago. When we were in for a recent check-​up for our 20-​month-​old, he was due for his latest series of vaccinations. Soon after the appointment, we received a call from the doctor who told us that instead of our son getting the final dose of both the hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines, they had instead given him two doses of hepatitis A. This level of incompetence borders on malpractice. We can no longer recommend this office for pediatric care, and have already made other arrangements for a new doctor.

I left Tufts for this clinic because I was sick of how I was being treated at Tufts.
I really like it here. My husband liked how things were going for him at the Braintree location, and so I decided to give the Copley location a try. I’ve never had an issue here with being seen late or anyone being rude. In fact, I’ve always been treated well and accommodated with answers to most of my questions.
My doctors at this location are really helpful! Facility/​clinic is clean and well kept, and the pharmacy is convenient. I just wish the clinic were open till 7 or 8 so I didn’t need to take time off of work for an appointment. It is what it is, really.
Another perk is using
to sign in and view all correspondence and your full medical records.

Great experience for the kids and me.

This is no MGH but it’s everything I need it to be. I’m new to Boston and needed to find a pcp to do all my yearly stuff with. I called on a Monday and was lucky enough to get an appointment with dr Osborne on Friday. The office is conveniently located in copley next to back bay station. The reception team who greeted me was super nice and I was checked in within minutes. I felt a lil rushed by my rn/​lpn but prolly bc I was a few minutes late. Dr Osborne came in a few mins after the lpn and was a complete doll. She spent a surprising amount of time taking my history and doing my exam. I got some bloodwork done after the exam and that was a breeze too. I was in and out of HV in an hour. Overall I had an awesome experience and very happy I found dr Osborne!

It only gets worse with this place. My insurance company wants to switch my prescription to a mail order or I’ll have to pay extra to pick it up at this location. I filled out the insurance company’s form and they took it from there.
A few weeks later I received notice that they were unable to contact my physician to confirm the transfer. I was forced to refill at the pharmacy. I went in with the notice from my insurance company and was sent to a receptionist who, after giving me an answer of that shouldn’t happen, decided that it was declined because I had a current prescription with their in-​house pharmacy. I was getting extremely frustrated. I needed that prescription filled in-​house when the request went out since the process takes weeks, but because of that I can’t get mail order.
I went back to the pharmacy down the hall and said I needed to cancel that prescription (as suggested by the receptionist) so I could get mail order and not have to pay out of pocket (as required by my insurance). The pharmacist was incredibly rude and condescending to me, asking if I was physically capable of making a phone call to my «pharmacy of choice». «Do you think you can handle that? Can you do that? Are you sure?» I think I mastered that trick when I was a toddler, thanks.
Nothing was resolved and I left with my skin crawling.
I cannot stand Harvard Vanguard.

Go here! Absolutely amazing doctors office, amazing staff, doctors, everything. Super clean, everyone is so friendly. I couldn’t be more pleased. I came in here last minute after being misdiagnosed TWICE from Mass general hospital ER… NEVER GO THERE.
Harvard Vanguard Copley saved me… I couldn’t be more grateful for the amazing doctors and staff here. If you are in need of a PCP or specialist, anything… I highly recommend it. Top quality office.

I would choose a different pharmacy. They have given me the wrong dosage twice and one time While I was trying to figure out what they did wrong the one woman whom I was talking to just walked away and another came and motioned with her hand for me to be quiet. They were insulting and rude. It is convenient to have them right there but not worth dealing with the rudeness or errors.

I went here for the second time to see Dr. Moussa-​Pervane, and I’m really happy with her. I’d seen her once for an urgent visit, where I was able to get seen quickly, and now I saw her for a physical, which did take awhile to get an appointment (but it’s obviously not an urgent thing).
She gave me multiple opportunities to bring additional issues to her attention, and pretty much addressed everything quickly and conveniently. I like that their office looks nice and new and the curtains in front of the door are nice for privacy. I think my husband’s been pretty happy too, and it’s convenient that we can get everything taken care of in the same building.

Last time i was over at Harvard vanguard copley practice In june was seeing by a nurse name ANDREA did in fact hand her my school physical form. At the end of everything she had told me not to worry that she will mail it to the school.
Unfortunately the form was never mail to the school and also got the nerve to called me on the phone telling that I never give them the form, which was giving to me in a folder and open it in front of her at Clinique.
Not impressed at all with the service. Kenmore practice is much much better $ 6 for parking.
So well if i never give the form to Andrea, why did i took the time to come to the facility in June? i wasn’t sick and did in fact pay my $ 25 co-​pay and now i am imagined stuff. FYI I am not in that phase yet, i know for sure that my school will not excepted your form only there form has to fill out. i just cannot believe that I have been played like a fool by what you call nurse ANDREA. I was not born yesterday don’t you ever ever under estimated a patient go back to your basic nursing note it will tells you how to interact with patient. I know my right as a patient And I am hoping you do not have to advocate for a patient in your life after loosing another pt medical form.

I really love this place. About a month ago I came into work at the Pru and was exhausted/​soar throat/​fever and went here on a recommendation from a co-​worker saying they would probably take me right away. They did.
I can’t remember the name of the doctor I saw, I was pretty out of it, but he was FANTASTIC. He figured it was strep, put in the paperwork to the pharmacy right away to get meds, and had my blood drawn just in case. I’m terrible at having blood drawn and hadn’t eaten all day so I did pass out but the nurses and doctors got me back to health pretty quickly, gave me some juice, etc and I was good to go. They even called me two days later to make sure the meds were working and I felt ok. Nice.
I knocked you guys down one star because I wasn’t a huge fan of how the doctors treated some of the nurses. The nurses were doing their jobs (when I passed out) and following protocol (I’ve been through it before so I’m used to it) and the doctors KEPT telling the nurses and me it was unnecessary (and doing so in a RUDE tone). This I did not care for. I come from a family of nurses (I, however, am not one) and most of my friends are nurses so, hey. knock it off! These people do so much.
All in all though, a great experience.

I just got off the phone with the Harvard Vanguard office and I am completely baffled by my experience.
I have been experiencing mild to moderate chest pain for a few weeks now and, while I don’t think my situation is dire, I feel like I need to see a health professional to figure out what’s going on. Vanguard’s offices are close to my workplace and a few of my co-​workers are patients there, so I thought I would call to see if one of the doctors could fit me in.
When I called to make an appointment, the receptionist assured me that the doctors were accepting new patients. However, she wanted one of the nurses to talk to me about my condition before booking an appointment. I was placed on hold for about 5 minutes, and then told that the nurse would have to call me back. Three hours later, I hadn’t heard from their office so I tried again. When I explained my situation to the receptionist, she again said that I needed to speak with a nurse and wasn’t sure why I wasn’t called. I was placed on hold for another 5 minutes…
When she got back on the line, she told me the reason I wasn’t called back was because I am a new patient. They wouldn’t see someone on short notice that they didn’t know because they’re a small outpatient facility (even though I was told the doctors did have short appointments available this week). I was also advised that if my pain was bad enough, that I should go to the emergency room and then consult with them afterwards.
Right.
Am I the only person seeing a problem with this? Why do I need to go to an emergency room and waste valuable resources (mine and the hospital’s) when there is a perfectly good primary care office a few blocks away? It’s a very cavalier attitude for a doctor’s office to have about someone’s health.

I spent 2 hours calling different offices trying to get a quick appointment for an antibiotic. I didn’t need an urgent care place, but just a real doctor, close by and with an appointment in 24 – 48 hours. This proved to be quite difficult since I’m newer to the area and it’s hard for new patients to get appointments anywhere.
So I was extremely happy to finally call Harvard Vanguard in Back Bay… two blocks from my apartment! They had an appointment 20 minutes later and within the hour I was walking home with an antibiotic in my hand. They have an on site pharmacy, and an on site lab so test results come back right away. I saw Dr. Monahan and thought she was great.
It’s a large practice and I would advise seeing specialists elsewhere for specific medical needs and more personal attention, but as a general medicine doctor close by, this is extremely convenient.

I’ve had a lot of mixed experiences at this office. Over the last year and a half, I’ve had to go to the doctor a million times for a variety of reasons, including a number of specialist visits. Some thoughts:
When something is wrong with me, I can see the doctor right away. Almost every time. This is the best part about the office, aside from the location.
I generally like my PCP, Dr. Srinath. She is matter-​of-​fact and seems knowledgeable. She’s good about answering my questions, and doesn’t rush me out. One lowlight: when I had a terrible fever for two weeks and decided I wanted to see an infectious disease specialist earlier then we had planned, I couldn’t get anyone from her office to call me back for about a day and a half. I’m not sure if this was her fault or not, but that’s not an acceptable delay (even if the answer is «no, you don’t need a referral yet») when someone has an acute illness.
In gynecology, I’ve had some mixed experiences. I have seen Dr. Baer twice and did not like him – he made wrong assumptions about my sexual history and was not helpful dealing with my troublesome IUD. (He’s retiring, though.) I have really liked the nurses I have seen (Pauline Paquin and Megan Mays) though – very helpful and practical.
The waiting time for referrals to other Harvard Vanguard doctors hasn’t been so great, but it hasn’t been horrific either. Getting into an endocrinologist took over a month. When I had my epic fever, there was going to be a five or six day wait to see an infectious disease specialist. I was able to get into MGH infectious disease with only a one-​day wait, and I think the specialist there was more knowledgeable anyways. Recently, even though I had been a regular patient of one of the dermatologists for a while (2 – 3 years, ~5−6 visits), my dermatologist left the practice. Apparently I therefore became a «new patient» and would have to wait five months for a mole check. Just ridiculous.
The office management here is a disaster. The receptionists are generally clueless. Nurses don’t call back when they say they will call back. If you call when a nurse isn’t there, the receptionist asks you to call back later rather than having the nurse call you when he/​she gets in. The last time I needed a refill on my birth control, it took about five phone calls. (First of all, why did I only get three months’ worth to begin with? And then why exactly do you have a record of a doctor I have never seen physically printing out my prescription in an office 20 miles away, when I asked you to FAX MY PRESCRIPTION TO TEXAS?)
If you have test results, often no one calls you about them. Sometimes your test results are released online, but sometimes they’re not. I get to google my online test results to interpret them when no one calls me. One particularly terrible vignette about this: When I did a routine STD screening, no one called me to tell me my results, they didn’t get posted online, and it took repeated (three?) phone calls to get my results from the office (STD-​free! yay!). But then ages later, when I was going in for some unrelated endocrinology bloodwork, I was puzzled when the lab person asked for a urine sample. It turns out that for some reason, that test just never got done even though the doctor ordered it. So when they told me I was STD-​free, not all the test results were even in! I got to learn months later I didn’t have syphilis, but that was totally unacceptable.
I think it’s time to find a new doctor.