Medical Providers
A health care provider is an individual licensed to examine, diagnose, and prescribe treatment to patients seeking assistance. An organization such as a hospital or clinic may also be identified as a health care provider.
Physician training includes a four-year undergraduate degree, four years in medical school, and three to eight years of internship and residency. Physicians must successfully complete all United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) sections to attain licensure to practice medicine. Each state establishes license requirements. Physicians can lose their license to practice medicine if convicted of a crime or for unprofessional conduct.
Previously, physicians moving to another state were able to be licensed in the new state through reciprocity. Reciprocity is a practice in which one state recognizes the licensing requirements of another state as being similar or more stringent than their own.
A physician in general or family practice sees all kinds of patients with an array of medical needs. However sometime the medical assistant may need to refer a patient to a different type of doctor. For instance, if a patient is complaining of vertigo, he or she would be referred to an otolaryngologist. The advances in modern medicine have made it impossible for physicians to study every aspect of medicine. Because of this, some have become medical specialists, focusing on a specific kind of medicine.
There are several other health care professionals with the title of Doctor, who are not physicians but provide services to patients, such as a Chiropractor, Dentist, Optometrist, Podiatrist, and Psychologist.
Healthcare providers such as Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Physicians Assistants (PA) are also known as mid-level practitioners. They can examine patients, order diagnostic tests, and prescribe certain types of medications.
A Registered Nurse (RN) is a professional nurse who has completed a course of study at a state-approved nursing school and passed the NCLEX-RN exam. A Nurse Anesthetist is an RN who is certified to administer anesthesia. A nurse-midwife is a professional RN who has had extensive training and practice in labor and delivery. Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) train in basic nursing techniques and direct patient care.
Role of the MA
The MA should have all of the patient’s medical records prepared prior to the office visit. All pertinent information should be available to the provider prior to the visit by the patient.
Continuity Of Care
Continuity of care is concerned with the quality of care over time. There are two important perspectives on this. Traditionally, continuity of care is idealized in the patient’s experience of a ‘continuous caring relationship’ with an identified health care professional. For providers in vertically integrated systems of care, the contrasting ideal is the delivery of a ‘seamless service’ through integration, coordination and the sharing of information between different providers.
PCMH Model
The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model is an approach to delivering high-quality, cost-effective primary care. Using a patient-centered, culturally appropriate, and team-based approach, the PCMH model coordinates patient care across the health system.
The PCMH model has been associated with effective chronic disease management, increased patient and provider satisfaction, cost savings, improved quality of care, and increased preventive care.
The Medical Team
A lot of other health professionals provide specific care to patients. They work in various settings such as hospitals, laboratories, municipal safety divisions, provider offices, pharmacies, convalescent, extended care facilities, and home health care agencies. Examples of such are Audiologists, Dieticians, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Hospital Registrars, Laboratory Technicians, X-ray Technicians, Medical Billers and Coders, Health Managers, Nuclear Medicine Technologists, Occupational Therapists, Pharmacy Technicians, Phlebotomists, and Physical Therapists who help patients regain physical and motor control after accidents illness or surgery.
List of Doctors and their Specialties:
Audiologist – This is a doctor who handles problems with hearing. These doctors also help hearing impaired children learn to communicate.
Allergist – This is a doctor who helps with allergies. Any allergies you may have, such as, hay fever or asthma, will be checked out by this doctor.
Andrologists – An andrologist is a specialist doctor that helps in diagnosing and treating male reproductive system disorders.
Anesthesiologist – This is the doctor that helps you to sleep through painful operations and medical diagnoses. They are responsible for administering the anesthesia and are present during surgeries to help in complications arising from anesthesia medications.
Cardiologist – A cardiologist is certified to treat any problem dealing with heart diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
Cardiovascular Surgeon – This doctor carries out surgical and invasive techniques dealing with cardiovascular diseases.
Clinical Neurophysiologist – This is a doctor that diagnoses any problem dealing with the central, peripheral and autonomic nervous system with the aid of electrophysiological tests.
Dentist – Any dental problem from tooth decay to dentures to retainers are handled by a dentist. They also treat any gum diseases and oral defects.
Dermatologist – This is a doctor that treats any ailment related to the skin and its appendages such as hair, nails, etc.
Emergency Doctors- When talking about types of doctors, these are doctors who handle trauma and emergency conditions in the Emergency room (ER) and are available at all times. Emergencies treated may vary from poisoning to broken bones, burns, heart attack concussions, accident trauma etc.
Endocrinologist – Thyroid problems, hormone problems or any problems with the endocrine system is handled by an endocrinologist.
Epidemiologists – This is a doctor who specializes in epidemic illnesses which are highly viral. They are more of scientists who identify new diseases, virus mutations and develop cures and modes of prevention of diseases with vaccinations, etc.
ENT Specialist – This doctor treats problems with the ear, nose and throat. An ENT surgeon would be a specialist who will be performing surgeries on these parts of the anatomy.
Family Practitioner – A family physician is the neighborhood doctor who is general physician treating illnesses and medical issues of all sorts, at all ages & medical non-emergency conditions. If the condition is serious, they will refer to a specialist relevant to the field of the illness.
Gastroenterologist – A doctor for illnesses related todigestive system including the common problem of gastritis and acid reflux.
Gynecologist – Any problems with the female reproductive system is referred to and treated by a gynecologist.
General Psychiatrist – Any person with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression and anxiety problems is treated by the general psychiatrist.
Hematologist – Blood and its diseases are studied by a hematologist.
Hepatologists – This doctor is responsible for diagnosing and treating diseases of the liver.
Immunologist – This is a doctor responsible for studying everything about the immune system and treats any diseases related.
Infectious Disease Specialist – An IDS studies and treats diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites and will identify outbreaks of epidemics and pandemic situations.
Internal Medicine Specialists – These doctors are responsible for diagnosing any illnesses and managing them with nonsurgical treatment. These are usually unusual or serious diseases.
Internists – These doctors focus on medicines related to adults and have special expertise in the areas related to the prevention and treatment of adult diseases.
Medical Geneticist – A doctor who is responsible for testing, identifying and treating patients with genetic diseases and disorders.
Microbiologist – A microbiologist is a doctor who studies the causes, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases where microbes are involved.
Neonatologist – A doctor for new-born babies, premature or critically ill babies.
Nephrologists – This is a specialist doctor that treats kidney diseases and renal problems with treatments such as dialysis.
Neurologist – This doctor studies various brain disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Neurosurgeons – These are the specialist doctors who carry out surgeries on central and peripheral nervous system diseases and the brain.
Obstetrician – This is a sub specialization in the gynecological field of study and handles various aspects of the female reproductive system, such as childbirth, caesareans etc.
Oncologist – An oncologist is a specialist physician that diagnoses and treats cancer patients with drugs, chemotherapy, radiation and when needed, surgical interventions.
Ophthalmologist – This is a doctor that treats eyes and various eye defects, blindness and performs different eye surgeries.
Orthopedic Surgeon – If you suffer from arthritis and osteoporosis and other bone related illnesses, or broken bones, an orthopedic surgeon needs to be consulted.
Orthopedist – Broken bones from falls or osteoporosis is treated by an orthopedist.
Primatologist – If someone is having a high risk of pregnancy, this is the doctor who should be consulted for special care and treatment.
Pale pathologist – A doctor that studies ancient diseases.
Parasitologist – A doctor that is responsible for study of parasites, their pathology and parasitic diseases and treatment of these diseases.
Pathologists – Specialist scientists who are doctors that study abnormalities in living organisms and study DNA, tissue, blood and other various human and animal cells. They are also responsible for performing autopsies on dead bodies to determine the cause of death.
Pediatrician – This is a doctor who treats children for any illness from birth to adolescent.
Plastic Surgeon – If you are not happy with how you look, a plastic surgeon can change your appearance by performing cosmetic surgery on you.
Physiologists – A physiologist is a life science doctor who specializes in physiology and help rehabilitate.
Physiatrist – The doctor whose specialty is medicine and rehabilitation of the body and muscles.
Plastic Surgeon – A plastic surgeon is a doctor that can transplant skin, muscles or change the structure of a face or other body parts for cosmetic and reconstructive purposes.
Podiatrists – This is a specialist doctor who treats disorders of the foot and ankle.
Psychiatrists – These doctors specialize in mental illnesses and will study, diagnoses and counsel and treat mental illnesses such as Bipolar, dementia, depression, Alzheimer’s, etc.
Pulmonologist – A doctor who is responsible for diagnosing and treats lung conditions and treating or managing critical care patients admitted in the ICU with ventilator support.
Radiologists – A doctor who specializes in use of X-rays or other imaging technologies in order to diagnose various illnesses.
Reproductive Endocrinologist – This doctor treats various reproductive problems that include sexual disorders and infertility problems etc.
Rheumatologist – A physician is responsible forhandling autoimmune disorders and allergic conditions.
Surgeon – A surgeon is a doctor that specializes in surgical operations and will have their own specialties such as orthopedic, ENT, brain, nuro, cardiovascular, maxillo-facial surgery, plastic surgery, and transplant surgery.
Thoracic Oncologist – This doctor deals with cancer of the lungs, esophagus and chest.
Urologist – Any urinary problems and urinary tract infections are treated by an urologist.
Veterinarian – While other doctors are responsible for treating humans, the veterinarians are responsible for the treatment of sick animals.
The CPT Manual
The CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) is a book with a set of codes, descriptions, and guidelines to describe procedures and services performed by physicians and other health care providers. Each procedure or service is identified with a five-digit code. The use of CPT codes simplifies the reporting of services.
Short History of Medicine
Historically, tuberculosis, tetanus, malaria, smallpox, typhus, typhoid, and leprosy devastated ancient civilizations. During these early times, people did not understand the diseases or human body functions, so illness was deemed as evil spirits and demons sent from the Gods as punishment. Thus, medical exercise was created and treated through priests and medicine men, who performed rituals to release persons of demons and spirits.
Many medical pioneers made contributions throughout the early ages. The Greek God of Healing, Asklepios, lived around 1250 BCE. The priests in the temples of Asklepios used massage, bathing, and exercise as medical treatment. They depended on the magical power of giant, yellow, nonpoisonous snakes that would lick patients’ wounds while they slept, and Asklepios applied salves. This God was usually depicted holding a staff with a serpent coiled around its shaft. This is now the medical symbol that’s well-known as the caduceus, as shown in the below cases.
Hippocrates was a Greek physician and founder of scientific medicine, who is considered the father of medicine. He is best known for his code of behavior known as the Hippocratic Oath. Physicians often repeat a modernized version of the oath sometime around graduation from medical school.
Shown below is the Hippocratic Oath:
Modern Version
“I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug.
I will not be ashamed to say “I know not,” nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery.
I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know.
Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty.
Above all, I must not play at God.
I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.
I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter.
May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.”
The Patient Referral Form
A patient referral form is a document that is used by medical professionals in order to refer a patient to another doctor. This document can be used for any type of medical practitioner to refer patients to another specialist or doctor.
Federal Government and Healthcare
The federal administration has enforced the growth of medicine through its organizations and legislation, setting the procedures for health care delivery. These include:
1930 Food and Drug Administration
Gave status to Public Health Service and Food and Drug Administration.
1930 National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Consists of 13 research institutes that improve health and provide information to health care professionals.
1946 Hill-Burton Act
Established for the improvement and construction of hospitals.
1948 World Health Organization (WHO)
Agency of the United Nations that controls and removes disease around the world.
1965 Medicaid
Provides government funding to states to aid medical care for the indigenous.
1966 Medicare
National health insurance for Americans over 65, or the blind, disabled, or certain kidney issues.
1967 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)
Provided guidelines for operating laboratories.
1968 Uniform Anatomical Gift Act
Allows the living to decide if they wish to gift their body or organs for research, transplant services, or tissue and organ bank upon their death.
1970 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Beyond its workplace enforcements, OSHA protects health workers from blood-borne organisms by requiring conformity to standards covering body fluids, needles, sharps, spills, personal protective equipment, and other hazards.
1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Is intended to limit health administration costs, provide privacy of patient information, and prevent fraud and abuse. It regulates the electronic transmission of data, release of personal data, security of records, determining persons for HIPAA officers, and more.
2006 Medicare D
Assists patients with prescription drug costs and plans.
2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Increases access to health insurance, offers additional protections, and reduces health costs.