A reader has ticked me off because

I used the word "patient". I should, apparently, be more business-like. "Patient", I am told, is old-fashioned and implies a status lower than the doctor. The word I should use is "client". "Clients" have freedom to consult whoever they wish and can move between the brokers they prefer. The term "patient" is anachronistic in the modern world and we should be glad to get rid of it; haven't I heard about the better service rendered when businesses treat people as exalted clients rather than subservient customers?