What does "provider" in this sentence mean?

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1

" At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your provider gives you".

It seems to me that it means doctor?

Thanks.

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2

It means a healthcare provider. Someone who provides medical care.

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3

Thanks. So, could it be multiple different healthcare professions? But it is always a person right, or the term could refer to an institution as well? (not in that sentence)

4

It can refer to a person or an institution, but you have to decipher it depending on the context :stuck_out_tongue:

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5

It means insurance company for the US.

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6

It usually refers to your doctor, or main medical provider like a Nurse Practitioner. It is anyone who provides you with medical care and who can write you a prescription.

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7

I can’t tell if you are being sarcastic… But as someone in the medical field in the USA… No. It does not ever mean insurance.

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8

It is always a person, and the person you have contact with that is in charge of your medical care and can legally write a prescription for you. In the past, it would have just said “doctor,” and mean “Medical Doctor,” (MD) but now it could be an Osteopathic Doctor (DO) or a Doctor of Nurse Practitioner (DNP) or an Nurse Practitioner (NP), or a Physician Assistant ¶, etc.

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9

It definitely does not mean insurance especially in the context that was provided by the person who asked the question.

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10

My day job has nothing to do with languages and much to do with opportunities created by changes in US healthcare regulations.

For the sentence given, it’s likely a doctor, nurse practitioner, physicians assistant, or perhaps registered nurse. And it’s definitely not an insurance company as “payer” (as in insurance company) and “provider” are contrasting terms for entities in the healthcare ecosystem now for decades.

Basically, it’s any individual or institution who a) has sufficient medical credentials that they can b) treat patients and c) bill insurance companies and/or individuals for doing that.

New federal healthcare regulations refer to such as the definition here:

However, the definition isn’t fully standardized. For instance, some regulations include pharmacists as providers while others do not.

Yet, generally speaking… a “provider” is someone who can practice medicine. A “doctor” is someone who earned his or her doctorate.

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