What is the role of a healthcare provider?

Role of Healthcare Providers in Delivering Patient-Centered Care

Healthcare providers serve as the cornerstone of the healthcare system by delivering comprehensive, continuous, first-contact care that is fundamentally based on identifying and responding to patients' actual health needs, while coordinating across all levels of care and advocating for optimal health outcomes. 1, 2

Core Functions Across the Care Continuum

Individual Patient Care Delivery

Healthcare providers fulfill critical direct care responsibilities that form the foundation of the healthcare system:

• Screen, diagnose, and treat conditions including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and elevated cholesterol—with primary care clinicians responsible for the vast majority of this preventive care compared to subspecialists 1
• Provide behavioral counseling on diet, physical activity, smoking cessation, and weight management, which are proven effective when delivered in primary care settings 1
• Prescribe medications and manage pharmacotherapy for chronic conditions, with primary care handling most medication management for cardiovascular risk factors 1
• Facilitate continuity of care by developing long-term relationships with patients to understand evolving health needs over time 1, 2
• Educate patients and caregivers about their conditions, treatment options, and self-management strategies 1

Care Coordination and System Navigation

Providers function as the central hub connecting patients to the broader healthcare ecosystem:

• Coordinate care and referrals between primary care and subspecialists, managing patients with elevated cardiovascular risk through comanagement with cardiology and other specialists 1
• Link patients with community resources, disease management programs, and social support services including referrals to social services and community outreach programs 1
• Integrate behavioral and mental health services into routine care delivery 1
• Manage population health by overseeing the health of defined patient populations within health systems, tracking metrics like HbA1c levels across patient panels 1

Patient-Centered Communication and Shared Decision-Making

Establishing Therapeutic Relationships

Effective physician-patient communication to individualize care, prioritize among multiple needs, and elicit patient goals is the single greatest facilitator of patient-centered care. 3

• Create trustworthy and empathic environments based on compassion, kindness, and active listening—paramount among patients' expressed needs and preferences 1, 4
• Engage in shared decision-making where both provider and patient play essential roles, with providers presenting evidence-based options while patients contribute their values and preferences 1
• Tailor information to individual patients using decision aids and ensuring clear communication so patients fully understand their condition and potential consequences of interventions 1
• Include family members and caregivers in discussions, recognizing that interventions affect not only patients but their loved ones and relationships 1

Addressing Communication Barriers

Providers must actively work to overcome obstacles to effective communication:

• Reduce language barriers through interpreter services and culturally appropriate materials 1
• Address numeracy barriers by presenting risk information in formats patients can understand 1
• Coach patients in self-management and empower them to take active roles in their care decisions 1

Common pitfall: Providers often assume compassion is inherent in care delivery, but research demonstrates it must be intentionally embedded through specific communication practices and organizational culture. 4

Team-Based and Collaborative Care

Healthcare providers increasingly function within interprofessional teams rather than in isolation:

• Lead multidisciplinary teams including nurses, medical assistants, dietitians, social workers, pharmacists, and behavioral health professionals who collectively support patient health 1
• Delegate appropriately to team members—medical assistants and nurses measure vital signs and perform point-of-care screening; dietitians provide nutrition counseling; pharmacists support medication management 1
• Collaborate with community-based professionals including community health workers, peer coaches, and home health aides who help patients improve health behaviors and avoid unnecessary healthcare utilization 1
• Participate in team-based care models such as Patient-Centered Medical Homes, Patient Aligned Care Teams, and Chronic Care Models that integrate decision support, delivery design, and community linkage 1

Advocacy and System-Level Responsibilities

Beyond direct patient care, providers serve as advocates and system leaders:

• Influence policy and payment models to ensure access to care and equitable resource distribution 1
• Promote guideline implementation and evidence-based practices within their organizations 1
• Meet quality and performance metrics while maintaining focus on patient-centered outcomes 1
• Advocate for workforce sustainability and clinician well-being to maintain capacity for compassionate care delivery 1
• Champion primary care functions and values through collaboration with professional societies 1

Technology Integration and Documentation

Providers must balance technology use with patient-centered care:

• Utilize electronic health records for clinical decision support, care coordination, and population health management 1
• Manage documentation burden (currently exceeding 6 hours daily) while maintaining focus on patient interactions 1
• Leverage technology to support rather than replace interprofessional care teams and reduce workload 1

Critical caveat: Technology must be implemented cautiously to avoid detracting from patient-centered interactions and should reduce rather than increase provider burden. 1

Emergency Preparedness and Acute Care

Providers in office-based settings serve as entry points into the emergency care system:

• Recognize and stabilize pediatric and adult emergencies in office settings before transfer to definitive care facilities 1
• Provide parent and patient education regarding prevention, recognition, and response to emergencies 1
• Maintain office readiness with appropriate equipment, training, and protocols for managing emergencies that present in primary care 1

Measuring Success Through Patient-Reported Outcomes

Providers must systematically assess both patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) to ensure care truly reflects patient needs and values. 1

• Incorporate PROMs into clinical pathways to capture patients' functional status and quality of life, which can improve survival rates and treatment quality 1
• Monitor PREMs through standardized questionnaires to evaluate patients' personal experience of receiving care 1
• Use feedback to drive continuous improvement rather than simply ranking quality of care 1

Essential distinction: While providers often focus on disease-specific clinical outcomes, patients prioritize functional status and quality of life—PROMs bridge this gap by ensuring the patient voice guides clinical decisions. 1