There is an interesting discussion taking place on the New York Times Well Blog about the term, “provider.” In health care we often hear and use the provider as a generic word for a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant (PA). It turns out that this word really bothers some people. I appreciate that, because there are some words that really bother me (stay tuned).
I use provider when I am referring to a health care professional in a general, inclusive sense, and not identifying (either on purpose or because I don’t know) which type of provider it is. For instance, “be sure to talk to your health care provider to see if it is safe for you to start an exercise program.” Where it gets confusing for me, though, is when people use “provider” to mean health insurance company or even HMO (for instance, United Health Care or Kaiser Permanente).
I think the most important thing is that we share information openly and honestly between health care professionals and those who use our services (typically referred to as “patients” but more recently being called “consumers”). It is important for health care providers to introduce themselves to patients and identify their role. For example, “Hi, I’m Jane. I’m a nurse and certified diabetes educator,” or “Hi, I’m Dr. Bennett. I’m a nurse practitioner,” and so on.
Today there are many doctoral degrees: pharmacists, psychologists, physical therapists, nurses, dietitians, and many others can earn a doctorate. We will, therefore, meet a variety of health care professionals who call themselves “doctor,” and may or may not be a physician. The patient deserves to know who they are talking to and what their credentials are. If your provider does not offer this information, be sure to ask.