Embracing the Patient-as-Client Framework to Redesign the American Healthcare System

Health care reform debates have largely focused on cost and access, with less sustained attention to the underlying design assumptions that shape patient–provider relationships. We examine how dominant patient models influence engagement, responsibility, and care outcomes by adapting the Student-as-Client framework from education to health care. We reviewed patient role framings across academic literature and publicly available materials from health care provider networks, and examined these findings in relation to established models of student engagement in education. This analysis reveals how Patient-as-Product and Patient-as-Consumer models continue to dominate health care delivery, often limiting patient agency while externalizing responsibility for long-term health outcomes. We argue that a Patient-as-Client model offers a more appropriate conceptual foundation for interactive health systems, particularly in contexts characterized by chronic care needs, workforce shortages, and increasing reliance on digital health technologies. This paper positions patient models as design constructs that shape interaction, accountability, and trust.