"...the term 'health care provider' is a generic term that does not communicate the emphasis on education and concern for patients embodied by the traditional term 'physician' or 'doctor.'"

245.002 Health Care Provider

245.002

Health Care Provider: The Texas Medical Association recognizes that the term "health care provider" is a generic term that does not communicate the emphasis on education and concern for patients embodied by the traditional term "physician" or "doctor." Similarly, the term "covered lives" is a dehumanizing phrase that often is used instead of "patients." Therefore, TMA should refrain whenever possible from the use of such terms as "provider," "covered lives," and similar terms in all communications with members, the public, and the media, and "patient" and "physician" should be used in place of these terms (Council on Communication, p 49, I-91; amended CC Rep. 5-A-02; reaffirmed BOT Rep. 12-A-12; reaffirmed BOT Rep. 12-A-12).