This health system says calling physicians “providers” is not OK
American Medical Association
The AMA promotes the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.
Delaware’s Bayhealth says the term belittles physician training, undermines the patient-doctor relationship, and can even exacerbate burnout.
By Andis Robeznieks , AMA Senior News Writer
Physician leaders at Delaware-based Bayhealth, a member of the?AMA Health System Program, are putting a stop to using the term “provider” when referring to physicians.
"Some are unaware of it, but some physicians find it a very negative and derogatory term to address them,” said Tom Vaughan, MD, chief wellness officer and founding chair of the physician wellness committee at Bayhealth.
"It is felt to have come from insurance companies and others who are trying to make medicine transactional," according to Dr. Vaughn.
"Provider" and physician burnout
“Calling medical doctors ‘providers’ does more than inflict moral injury,” says a Bayhealth presentation Dr. Vaughan uses when speaking to health system staff. “It reduces morale, worth, purpose, and results in already overworked doctors finding less meaning in the work that they do. The word ‘provider’ comes between doctors and their patients, thus chipping away the joy in practice.”
“We discussed this in a couple of committee meetings and decided that it was an area that we could have an impact and maybe help decrease some burnout among physicians,” Dr. Vaughan said.
“Maybe it's a little thing, but our approach with burnout is to take on a lot of the little things because there is not one answer to the problems in today’s medical environment.”
Promoting professionalism
“Respect is a cornerstone of professionalism in medicine. The language we use is a critical medium through which respect is conveyed to colleagues and patients.”
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“When used to designate those who care for patients,?‘provider’?has the potential to suggest that patients are mere consumers, serviced without commitment to professionalism,” say physicians in a 2021 JAMA?Viewpoint column
At Bayhealth, the word “provider” has been removed from medical staff bylaws and, if it is spotted as a substitute for “physician” in any of the health system’s publications or other materials, a call is placed to “gently explain” the new policy, The person using the term is often well-intentioned, so Dr. Vaughan said he approaches the call with sensitivity
AMA's position on the generic term
The AMA House of Delegates agrees. Delegates adopted policy that considers?the?generic term “provider" as “inadequate?to?describe?the?extensive?education?and qualifications of physicians licensed?to?practice medicine in all its branches.”
Similarly, the AMA also has policy urging “all?physicians?to?insist on being identified?as?a physician."
This is an adapted excerpt of the full article.
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1 年This is silly, I can’t believe that the majority feels this way
Broker/Owner at The Dennis L.David Insurance Agency
1 年Sorry to say but this article goes too far. I am an insurance broker that offers health insurance. The easiest way for me to have a conversation with a client in regard to coverage is to encourage them to ask if their physician is a provider. I use both terms, physician and provider. I should not have to explain this in great detail. I use the term provider to help my clients understand their coverage. I should be about the client and the patient. It seems to me that the "doctors" want acknowledgement beyond that of being a human being.