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| (l to r) HVMA physicians
Herbert Boerstling, MD, and John Graef, MD, check in on patient
Keillen Fields. They are joined by Felecia Fields, Keillen's
mom and HVMA case management nurse Paula Magnuson, RN, MS. |
Have you ever walked by the HVMA sign on your way into Children's
Hospital Boston and wondered what it is? Here's a primer on Harvard
Vanguard Medical Associates.
Is HVMA an insurance
company?
No. HVMA is actually a large multi-specialty, not-for-profit medical
group practice with 17 office locations in Eastern Massachusetts,
including the one at Children's. It has approximately 90 pediatricians,
almost all of whom are on staff at CHB. HVMA is also a major teaching
affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
A rose by any other name?
In 1998, HVMA spun off from Harvard Pilgrim Health
Care (HPHC), and today accepts most major insurers in Eastern Massachusetts.
What does HVMA do?
It provides primary care to approximately 75,000
children in greater Boston. HVMA physicians are deeply committed
to tracking quality, and place a strong emphasis on prevention,
early detection of disease, effective management of chronic illness
and involving patients in decision-making about their health care.
What does HVMA do
at Children's?
John Graef, MD, and Herbert Boerstling, MD, are the
two HVMA physicians on-site at CHB full-time. They are hospitalists,
which are physicians who specialize in the care of hospitalized
patients. They, along with HVMA case management nurses, manage the
care of HVMA patients when they're inpatients, unless they're admitted
to a specialty service. The HVMA staff co-manage these patients
with the Children's specialty attending physician. HVMA was the
first pediatric hospitalist service at CHB. A study done here showed
that a dedicated hospitalist service provides high quality health
care with a greater efficiency of resources, and results in decreased
length of stay and less duplication. As a result, CHB now offers
its own hospitalist service for non-HVMA patients.
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