Definition
Healthcare Professional (HCP)
A healthcare professional (HCP) is a trained, usually licensed individual who delivers or directs patient care, such as a physician, nurse, pharmacist or dentist. In life sciences, the term also covers people who prescribe, recommend or influence the use of products.
1 min readReviewed September 14, 2026
Also known as: Health care professional, Health care practitioner, Clinician, HCP targeting
Key facts
- Licensing
- Set by state law and state boards, profession by profession
- Payment disclosure law
- Section 6002 of the Affordable Care Act (Open Payments)
- Open Payments expansion
- PAs, NPs, CNSs, CRNAs, anesthesiologist assistants, CNMs from 2021 data
- Industry conduct code
- PhRMA Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals
What is a healthcare professional?
The term covers a wide range of people with clinical training: physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, therapists and others. Most are licensed by a state board for their profession, and that license defines what they are allowed to do.
In pharmaceutical and medical device companies, HCP is also a working category for the people a company may call on, educate or pay for services. It is usually paired with HCO (healthcare organization), which covers hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and group practices.
How HCPs are grouped
Commercial and compliance teams commonly sort HCPs into a few groups:
- Prescribers: physicians, dentists, podiatrists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, within the limits of state law.
- Pharmacists: dispense medications and, in some states, prescribe under collaborative practice agreements or protocols.
- Other clinicians: registered nurses, therapists, technologists and others who deliver care but generally do not prescribe.
- Influencers: many company policies also treat formulary committee members and some practice staff as HCPs because they shape product decisions.
Why the HCP definition matters
Who counts as an HCP determines compliance obligations. The federal Open Payments program, created by Section 6002 of the Affordable Care Act, requires drug and device manufacturers to report payments and other transfers of value to covered recipients. Coverage began with physicians and teaching hospitals, and the SUPPORT Act added physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologist assistants and certified nurse-midwives starting with 2021 data. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute also limits what companies can offer HCPs.
For commercial teams, the HCP universe sets the size of a target market. Public provider data identifies HCPs by NPI, taxonomy code and practice location, and prescribing data shows which of them actually use a therapy.