More on ‘We are physicians, not providers’
I absolutely agree with Dr. Nasrallah’s position that we are physicians, not “providers,” and that the people we care for are patients, not “clients.” Given the enthusiasm with which insurance companies have embraced the term provider (under the notion that we are indistinguishable from other types of trained professionals providing care), perhaps we should stop referring to them as “payors” because this does not seem to be their primary function. Instead, we can refer to them as “withholders” to better indicate the difference between what clinicians do (provide care) and what insurance companies do (withhold payment and thus delay care, sometimes with disastrous consequences).
Orefield, Pennsylvania
Regarding being called “providers,” I believe we have brought this on ourselves by allowing “management experts” to decide how we treat our patients.
Shyamala Vatsa, MBBS, DPM
Bengaluru, India
Being called a “provider” has been one of the most annoying and insulting things that we have had to endure in the last few years. Until Dr. Nasrallah’s editorial, I had never heard anyone raise this issue in a medical journal. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) must help us with this. I have been saying for years that we are all going to be replaced by nurse practitioners (NPs)!
Chicago, Illinois
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