Published in:
01-09-2017
What’s in a Name?
Is it time to retire the term “Primary Care Physician”?
Author:
Mitchell D. Feldman, MD, MPhil
Published in:
Journal of General Internal Medicine
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Issue 9/2017
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Excerpt
The terms “primary care practitioner” and “primary care physician” (both abbreviated as “PCP”) have been used for decades to describe the role of physicians or other health care professionals such as nurse practitioners who care for patients in the ambulatory setting. However, this term no longer adequately captures our current and emerging roles as general internists in primary care. It is time to retire the term primary care physician and find a more accurate descriptor. How we define ourselves and how we communicate our roles to our patients, to our colleagues and to the leaders of the health systems matters. …