Physicians are not “providers” and referring to them by that term undermines their expertise, clinical integrity and ethical obligations, according to a position paper issued by American College of Physicians.
Language and names in health care have practical implications and ethical significance, the paper’s authors stated.
They recommend that physicians be referred to as physicians, and that the terms “clinicians” or “health care professionals” be used to describe individuals with varied credentials.
“Words matter,” Jason M. Goldman, MD, MACP, president of the ACP, told Healio. “The word