> At any rate, I am more apt to call
> my tribe "clients" and leave the term "patients" and the whole
> experience associated with the title to the allopaths. What do y'all
> think?
>

I introduce myself to every new patient as "Greg," and in my email
correspondences (of which I have dozens each week) I sign off as
Greg. I used to use "Dr. Nigh," but I just never felt comfortable
with it. Many wear that title well. I don't.

I have found it interesting how people respond to that. I've had a
few who told me that they knew immediately that I was going to be
their doctor since I didn't use my title but just my name. There are
many who continue to refer to me as Dr. Nigh, though I never refer to
myself that way. Some go for Dr. Greg.

I say all this because I think it points out differences in how
people see our relationship in the office. Some are used to the more
traditional doctor/patient relationship, so use Dr. Nigh to maintain
that in their mind. Others realize that the health care they are
experiencing in our office is not in the model of any traditional
doctor/patient relationship, and so I think are happy to step outside
of that with me and speak without the formalities.

I'm *not* suggesting that those who use the Dr. title are simply
reinforcing a traditional/conventional model of health care. Dr. Zeff
will always be Dr. Zeff in my mind, and that obviously has nothing to
do with his being conventional.

I have several different kinds of relationships with the people who
come into my office. I typically see people weekly, and sometimes
that is for a year or more. By that point, someone is clearly a
friend, and I talk to them as such and they to me the same. For other
people, they're in less often, or for only a few weeks or a few
months, or they're just a different personality type and we haven't
talked about life and meaning and favorite movies and their
existential angst and why tom waits is the best songwriter ever.

I often give brief anecdotes about other cases with people, and I
will always make reference to "another patient of mine that I saw
recently..." I don't think of it as anything pejorative. Ultimately,
I want people to learn a new definition of what it means to be a
patient, I want them to have a different expectation from any doctors
they see after me, and I want them to use their experience with me
and my clinic as the standard to which others are compared.

That was about as roundabout as I could be in responding to your
question.

Regards,

Greg