Do you prefer calling a person that schedules an appointment with you a patient or a customer?

This is a hot topic for many healthcare professionals. Some think that a person who makes an appointment is always a patient and never a customer, while others think a patient is a customer because they pay money for a service. A good answer to this question is that healthcare professionals see and treat a person, making them a patient. But, they are still customers because they are paying for a service, and you need to provide excellent customer service to keep them happy and continue to use your services.