“Please stand, raise your right hand, and repeat after me: I pledge not to use the word provider when referring to physicians and further, to encourage my colleagues to do so. You may be seated.”

So began rheumatologist Dr. Robert McLean’s inaugural address as 2019 President of the American College of Physicians — and with it, his mission to eliminate the “P-word,” provider, as a term for physicians.

“People stood, smiled, I got some claps, and several came up afterward to thank me,” McLean recalls. “It kind of became my moniker. For the rest of the year, at every committee meeting, I would start with the ‘No Provider Pledge. If somebody slipped up and used the word provider, they had to throw a dollar in the kitty.’”

Six years later, McLean is still widely recognized among recent ACP physician leaders as the standard-bearer against the term. “At a recent AMA meeting, when the word ‘provider’ slipped into speeches by CMS Director Dr. Oz and AMA CEO Dr. Whyte, people sitting nearby would turn around and look at me and shake their heads,” he said. McLean notes that the AMA and other major physician organizations have longstanding policy opposing use of the term.

While some may argue that fighting a word isn’t worth the effort, McLean and others believe replacing physician with provider represents far more than semantics. It reflects a deeper erosion of professional identity, clarity, and trust in American medicine.

Read more at MedicalEconomics.com.

Music Credits
Medical Education by Art Media - stock.adobe.com

Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.

Introduction to the "Provider" Problem (00:00:13) Overview of the episode’s focus on the term "provider" and its impact on physicians’ roles and identity.

The "No Provider Pledge" and Its Reception (00:00:36) Dr. McLean introduces the "No Provider Pledge" and describes physicians’ reactions to it.

Origins and Spread of the Term "Provider" (00:02:34) Historical background of the term, its use by insurance companies, and its effect on healthcare roles.

Confusion in Clinical Titles and Patient Perception (00:04:06) How patients are confused by titles, and the implications for care and professional identity.

Declining Standards in Nurse Practitioner Education (00:06:18) Concerns about the quality and rigor of nurse practitioner training and its consequences.

Legislative Changes and Nurse Practitioner Autonomy (00:07:36) Dr. McLean’s advocacy experience and the evolution of laws allowing nurse practitioners more independence.

Differences in Training: Physicians vs. Non-Physicians (00:10:10) Discussion of the rigorous, standardized training for physicians compared to other practitioners.

Personal Sacrifice and Physician Burnout (00:13:07) Dr. Alaba shares the personal costs of becoming a physician and the emotional impact of being called "provider."

Corporate Medicine and Physician Demoralization (00:15:14) How corporate healthcare, loss of autonomy, and generic titles contribute to physician burnout and suicide.

Propaganda and the Visual Blurring of Roles (00:17:12) Analysis of social media posts that visually equate physicians and non-physicians, reinforcing the "provider" label.

Physician Reactions to Lack of Recognition (00:18:22) Doctors’ emotional responses to being grouped with non-physicians and the importance of proper recognition.

Strategies to Reclaim Physician Identity (00:19:33) Dr. McLean discusses ways to push back against the "provider" term and reclaim professional identity.

Relational vs. Transactional Care (00:21:22) Emphasis on the unique physician-patient relationship and the dangers of commoditizing healthcare.

Market Forces and Commoditization of Medicine (00:22:32) Discussion of how insurance and private equity treat healthcare as a commodity, harming the profession.

Comparison to Legal Profession and Final Thoughts (00:23:25) Comparison to law, concluding with a call for physicians to reclaim their identity and resist being called "providers."