Meet the Players: Patient, Provider, Payer

Who’s in charge? Who’s paying? What are the rules?

This week’s post is all about the big three in healthcare: the patient, the provider, and the payer. Whether you work in the industry or you’ve ever found yourself in an ER with a sprained ankle and no clue what your insurance covers, this one’s for you.

I break down who’s who, what their roles are, and how understanding the relationship between them can help you better navigate your care, your bills, and the healthcare system overall. You’ll also find answers to common questions like:

• Why does my doctor need permission from my insurance?

• Who actually decides what’s covered?

• And what does “member,” “subscriber,” or “patient” really mean?

This post lays the groundwork for future ones, especially if you’ve ever wondered how care turns into claims or why getting an MRI can feel like applying for a mortgage.

Thanks for reading,
Bonnie

If you’ve ever left a meeting, or a doctor’s office, feeling like everyone is speaking a different language? You are not alone. In healthcare, that kind of disconnect isn’t just frustrating, it’s costly.

Hi everyone,

This week’s post gets to the heart of something I’ve seen across every healthcare project I’ve worked on: miscommunication. Even when people use the same words, they’re often speaking very different languages, clinical, technical, operational, and business all come with their own terms and assumptions.

This post shares stories, metaphors (yes, one includes dessert), and a real-life example of how a simple shift in language transformed a team’s performance, quality, collaboration, and ultimately profitability of the products. 

And it’s not just for people in product or engineering. If you’ve ever struggled to understand your own care, coverage, or healthcare bills, this post is for you too.

This is the first in a new series on breaking down healthcare communication, offering plain-language explanation, acronyms decoded, and tools to help teams (and patients) better navigate the system.

I hope it resonates with you.

Thank you for reading,

Bonnie

After over 20 years in the healthcare system, I thought I understood how it worked, until I became a patient.

That wild ride lit a fire under me to start CoView Consulting.

My first blog post is now live, and it shares the personal and professional journey that led me here. I'm buzzing to use my inside-out knowledge to make things clearer and easier, because I believe real change starts with empathy, clarity, and speaking the same language.

This is just the beginning. I invite you to read the full story.