Harvard Vanguard Medical Assoc

The psychiatrist at Harvard Vanguard's Behavior Health in Quincy--Lee Altman, M.D.-- was paid over $46,000 in bonuses by big Pharma! Long story short, he had my friend hooked on big time levels of benzo's, then sent her into a cold turkey siezure, 3 emergency room visits and finally a medically supervised detox. Every medical pro is astounded at the levels and length of time he was prescribing them to her (he upped her dosages for over 5 months. Benzo's (Klonopin, etc.) are only FDA approved for short term.) He needs to answer to his patients and their families. Not the legalized drug cartels. Go to ProPublica's website to find out how much big pharma is paying off your doc. Helps you understand why we are all being drugged to death. more

I have had no problem with the receptionist, but you usually can get your way when you greet people with a smile. It's not so hard to do. I've also never had an issue getting an appointment with a specialist whether it be in Post Office Sq, Fenway or in Braintree afterhours. They actually have a facility right off the Braintree T that takes walk ins like a clinic only it's actually run by the doctors who have all my information in their system. It's so much better than a hospital, but if you do need a hospital's care, they arrange for that too. I have actually called and told them I'd be late 12 hour for a neurologist appointment and they had no problem accommodating me. Pros: Lots of specialties Cons: They don't take some health insurances more

If you enjoy bureaucracies, you will love Harvard Vanguard. If you need to make an appointment, first you have to wait for the centralized system to pick up, then the doctor. You pay in one place, make your appointments in another. Making an appointment is difficult; they ""lock"" the schedule often. The receptionists act like they hate their job and they hate you for making them do their job. Even if you do manage to get an appointment, there is no guarantee they will keep it. I have brought my son there about ten times, and they twice told me that I didn't actually have appointments at that time, despite the reminder cards that said I did. Another time, I was ten minutes late (it happens when you have a NEWBORN), and they turned me away. Also, don't expect to do anything that differs from their norms. We are spacing out vaccinations for our son, and they are generally snotty about this. The last time I was there, they told me I was ""torturing"" him by giving them one at a time instead of in four at a time megashots, like they want to do. They are so frustrating that I am looking for a new pediatrician. more