Provider v. Physician

Lots of discussion on twitter regarding the use of the term ‘provider’ when it is applied to physicians. As usual, there are exaggerated responses on all sides. I do believe it is a bothersome term for many reasons. It obviously was generated by some admin types as the spectrum of medical care has been industrialized and micromanaged. When looking over balance sheets it was made easier for the bean counters to lump anyone who interacts with patients into the ‘provider’ category, as they tally up where they can cut resources here and boost revenue there. Is the term as offensive to a physician as the term ‘nigger’ is to a black person, as some have implied? Or for that matter as offensive as the term ‘kike’ to a Jew, or ‘cracker’ to a southerner? Hardly, and that type of overreaction immediately prevents the argument against the term from being taken seriously. I have fortunately engaged with administrators who understand the pride doctors have in being called physicians, and realize the provider term can be at its worst insulting. I refuse to respond to those that lump me into that designation, but I will not be offended by the word. Those that apply it to physicians demonstrate their laziness and ignorance of language, but I will not rise to their bait and lose my ability to respond rationally. Do I like the term? No. But let us discuss it with reason and not hyperbole.

What I Am Thinking About

Thoughts this morning filled with anger and frustration with the medical system in the US. Nothing to see here, keep on moving. Just another physician complaining, right? Well, it is we who are in front of the patient, hearing of the struggle to balance which meds they can afford. It is we who are on the phone arguing with a faceless “peer” about a test or intervention our patient needs but the insurance company will not approve. Why do I so often feel like a sucker in these situations, having fooled myself into thinking I could possibly make a difference or be in charge of my patients’ care? I do it for the same reason I care for any patient who comes to me in need - who else is going to do it? That is what insurance companies, politicians, administrators and their ilk do not understand about what drives physicians, even in the 21st century. We are here to serve those who need us. We are here for those who are vulnerable, who are scared, who are frightened, who are polite, who are angry, who are rude, who are rich, who are poor. That is what I remember when I get too frustrated with ‘the system’. We are here, we will do our best, we will continue to think about them long after the day is done, and we will be back again tomorrow.