Things are busy around here. We are hosting our first Advisory Group meeting this week, and then heading to community #2, Boston, Massachusetts.

While there, we will be observing practices at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, who operate MyHealth Online, Partners Healthcare, who operate Patient Gateway, and East Boston Neighborhood Health Center.

How do we set these up and what do we do? First, we establish contact with the appropriate leader in the organization who is willing to let Josh Seidman and/or myself observe the process of care. In the case of this community, we’ve really been helped by Joe Kimura, MD from Harvard Vanguard/Atrius Health, Jonathan Wald, MD from Partners Healthcare, and Frances Kuebler, MD, from East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. Even with an introduction from a leader in the organization, there is still some relationship building that needs to happen with busy clinicians, and I will typically do that on the spot. In the case of Harvard Vanguard, I have already met the clinicians who are allowing me to watch the process of care.

Speaking of naming names, Neil Calman, MD asked me a provocative question, about the naming of individuals I shadow (not the patients, their experience is always protected). I have always assumed in a public space like this that not everyone wants to be explicitly named. On the other hand, I haven’t minded being named in another person’s blog as long as the reference is accurate.

So, with this trip, I am going to ask the question about attribution to those who I work with, as a little informal poll.

To the readers of this blog - what do you think - is it useful to the story to hear specifics about the practitioners we work with? Thanks for the input.