For the first time in 15 years, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued new regulations that should improve nutrition in school lunches. Although these regulations ensure that our kids are eating healthier at lunch than in the past, the SMArt kids and their families learned at this month’s SMArt Kids shared medical appointment (SMA) that there is more we can and should do.

This point especially came to light when we reviewed various local school lunch menus.

In 2009, the Massachusetts Expert Panel on End of Life Care, established by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), conducted a comprehensive review of the issues surrounding end-of-life care both nationally and in the Commonwealth. It concluded that Massachusetts residents nearing the end of their lives often do not receive the care that they want or need and are unaware of the full range of care options, including hospice and palliative care services.

If you’ve recently had an appointment with a Harvard Vanguard clinician, either for a scheduled visit or for urgent care, you may have received a follow-up survey by mail or email asking for your feedback on that visit.

Did you complete the survey? We hope so!

We believe that high-quality healthcare should combine high-quality medical expertise with a positive and satisfying experience for our patients. Both of these aspects foster respect and trust,

Understanding how to properly take your medications is so important to your health, but many people – estimates are between 33% and 50% of people who take medication regularly – do not take them safely and properly, leading to additional labs or doctor’s visits, medical complications, and even hospitalizations, all at an additional cost.

To ensure you take your medications correctly and receive the maximum health benefit from taking those medicines,

According to the FDA, as many as 3 billion prescriptions are written annually in the United States. About 25% of new prescriptions never make it to a pharmacy, 3% of prescriptions that are filled never get picked up and 50% of prescriptions in the US are not taken as prescribed. Approximately 125,000 deaths and 25% of hospitalization and nursing home admissions are related to medication non-adherence annually in the United States.

At Atrius Health,

Dedham Medical Associates has been recognized as one of the leading medical practices in the nation by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).  The practice was named a “better performer” by the MGMA for its superior operational performance compared to other medical group practices nationwide. 

For more than 75 years, Dedham Medical Associates has been committed to delivering excellent and compassionate care. To achieve this better-performing status, the practice focused on improving primary care as a patient-centered medical home and designing processes to continually review and measure performance. 

We all know it’s good to eat more fiber.  Unfortunately, most Americans don’t get anywhere near the recommended 30 grams of fiber each day.  In fact, the average intake is only around 10-15 grams per day for most of us.  To help inch us closer to our goal, food manufacturers have started adding fiber to anything and everything.  It’s now in yogurt, cottage cheese, breakfast bars, and even some beverages,

As we move closer to cold and flu season, it’s important to learn if you are at increased risk of getting the flu. People of certain ages or with specific conditions, such as pregnant women and small children, fall into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s category of people at high-risk for developing flu-related complications.

Recently, Dr. Ben Kruskal, Chief of Infectious Disease at Harvard Vanguard,

Data itself does not make decisions, but when it is processed, analyzed and turned into useable reports, it becomes a powerful tool to guide decision making. This is data analytics. We use it to understand what is happening to our patients and how they are receiving care to ensure that we stay focused on our mission – keeping our patients as healthy as possible.

Data analytics informs Atrius Health clinicians, staff,