The Three Faces of the Physician is the subtitle of a recent article in Psychiatric Times by Ronald L. Pies, MD, Professor in Psychiatry at SUNY and Tufts, Editor in Chief Emeritus at said e-zine, bioethicist, and aspiring mensch. Dr. Pies and I have been allies on a certain DSM revision. We once butted heads over the nature of suicide. And he has provided valuable assistance in the science chapters of my soon to be published book Prozac Monologues: Are You Sure It's Just Depression? His (typically) thoughtful examination of the shifting role of physician calls for a response from the side of the relationship, the confessant, consumer, and cared for, aka patient. My (typically) thoughtful response will be in three parts, starting in the middle of this alliterative stew.
Pies has many problems with the title provider. It blurs the distinctions among the various health care team members, their roles, responsibilities, and contributions. It obscures the dignity of a highly educated, hard working and dedicated profession. It compromises the relationship with its counterpart, the consumer who comes to the exchange overvaluing what she has learned from her internet searches and trying to tell the doctor what to prescribe.
Consumer Movement
Pies traces the origins of the provider usage to two things, the consumer movement in medicine and the encouragement of the insurance industry. There are good things to be said about the consumer movement, he acknowledges. I will list a couple of them here.
Pies has many problems with the title provider. It blurs the distinctions among the various health care team members, their roles, responsibilities, and contributions. It obscures the dignity of a highly educated, hard working and dedicated profession. It compromises the relationship with its counterpart, the consumer who comes to the exchange overvaluing what she has learned from her internet searches and trying to tell the doctor what to prescribe.
Consumer Movement
Pies traces the origins of the provider usage to two things, the consumer movement in medicine and the encouragement of the insurance industry. There are good things to be said about the consumer movement, he acknowledges. I will list a couple of them here.