Doctor and Patient or Provider and Consumer?

Source: WSJ

This is a growing controversy in medicine. Are we still doctor-patient or are we now provider-consumer?


I really hope that the latter is not acquiring permanency. Of course, there is a business side to medicine, even in a large academic center. But, let's be honest, medical encounters are rarely, if ever, a simple business transaction like buying a car or shopping for groceries. A person's well being is at stake, many encounters are urgent or under emergency situations, frequently there are few (no) options in choosing a doctor, and the cost, typically, is borne by a third party (insurance). 


This is no simple seller-buyer deal occurring in the free market.


For more, check out this perspective in the Wall Street Journal.