diff --git a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/backend.py b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/backend.py
index b650b5ed..c4ff34e4 100644
--- a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/backend.py
+++ b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/backend.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-from typing import Any, Dict, Tuple, Union, List, Optional
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Dict, Union, List, Optional
 from azure.quantum.version import __version__
 from azure.quantum.qiskit.job import (
     MICROSOFT_OUTPUT_DATA_FORMAT,
@@ -20,11 +20,13 @@
 from abc import abstractmethod
 from azure.quantum.job.session import SessionHost
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from azure.quantum.qiskit import AzureQuantumProvider
+
 try:
     from qiskit import QuantumCircuit
     from qiskit.providers import BackendV1 as Backend
     from qiskit.providers import Options
-    from qiskit.providers import Provider
     from qiskit.providers.models import BackendConfiguration
     from qiskit.qobj import QasmQobj, PulseQobj
     import pyqir as pyqir
@@ -81,7 +83,7 @@ class AzureBackendBase(Backend, SessionHost):
     def __init__(
         self,
         configuration: BackendConfiguration,
-        provider: Provider = None,
+        provider: "AzureQuantumProvider" = None,
         **fields
     ):
         super().__init__(configuration, provider, **fields)
@@ -304,7 +306,7 @@ def _get_azure_provider_id(self) -> str:
 class AzureQirBackend(AzureBackendBase):
     @abstractmethod
     def __init__(
-        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: Provider = None, **fields
+        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: "AzureQuantumProvider" = None, **fields
     ):
         super().__init__(configuration, provider, **fields)
 
@@ -528,7 +530,7 @@ class AzureBackend(AzureBackendBase):
 
     @abstractmethod
     def __init__(
-        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: Provider = None, **fields
+        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: "AzureQuantumProvider" = None, **fields
     ):
         super().__init__(configuration, provider, **fields)
 
diff --git a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/ionq.py b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/ionq.py
index 13f58a92..42ca17b9 100644
--- a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/ionq.py
+++ b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/ionq.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 )
 
 from qiskit.providers.models import BackendConfiguration
-from qiskit.providers import Options, Provider
+from qiskit.providers import Options
 
 from qiskit_ionq.helpers import (
     GATESET_MAP,
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class IonQQirBackendBase(AzureQirBackend):
 
     @abstractmethod
     def __init__(
-        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: Provider = None, **fields
+        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: "AzureQuantumProvider" = None, **fields
     ):
         super().__init__(configuration, provider, **fields)
 
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ class IonQBackend(AzureBackend):
 
     @abstractmethod
     def __init__(
-        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: Provider = None, **fields
+        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: "AzureQuantumProvider" = None, **fields
     ):
         super().__init__(configuration, provider, **fields)
 
diff --git a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/qci.py b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/qci.py
index 076f2f74..b2e82e89 100644
--- a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/qci.py
+++ b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/qci.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 )
 
 from qiskit.providers.models import BackendConfiguration
-from qiskit.providers import Options, Provider
+from qiskit.providers import Options
 from qsharp import TargetProfile
 
 
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ class QCIBackend(AzureQirBackend):
 
     @abstractmethod
     def __init__(
-        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: Provider = None, **fields
+        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: "AzureQuantumProvider" = None, **fields
     ):
         super().__init__(configuration, provider, **fields)
 
diff --git a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/quantinuum.py b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/quantinuum.py
index 1ebe4c5e..3a5b4c71 100644
--- a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/quantinuum.py
+++ b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/quantinuum.py
@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@
 # Licensed under the MIT License.
 ##
 
-from typing import Dict, List, Union
-from azure.quantum.qiskit.job import AzureQuantumJob
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Dict
 from azure.quantum.version import __version__
 import warnings
 
@@ -13,13 +12,15 @@
 from qiskit import QuantumCircuit
 from qiskit.providers.models import BackendConfiguration
 from qiskit.providers import Options
-from qiskit.providers import Provider
 from qiskit.qasm2 import dumps
 from qsharp import TargetProfile
 import logging
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from azure.quantum.qiskit import AzureQuantumProvider
+
 __all__ = [
     "QuantinuumSyntaxCheckerBackend",
     "QuantinuumEmulatorBackend",
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ class QuantinuumQirBackendBase(AzureQirBackend):
 
     @abstractmethod
     def __init__(
-        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: Provider = None, **fields
+        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: "AzureQuantumProvider" = None, **fields
     ):
         super().__init__(configuration, provider, **fields)
 
@@ -216,7 +217,7 @@ class QuantinuumBackend(AzureBackend):
 
     @abstractmethod
     def __init__(
-        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: Provider = None, **fields
+        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: "AzureQuantumProvider" = None, **fields
     ):
         super().__init__(configuration, provider, **fields)
 
diff --git a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/rigetti.py b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/rigetti.py
index 47656bb5..af36878b 100644
--- a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/rigetti.py
+++ b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/backends/rigetti.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 from .backend import AzureQirBackend
 
 from qiskit.providers.models import BackendConfiguration
-from qiskit.providers import Options, Provider
+from qiskit.providers import Options
 from qsharp import TargetProfile
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ class RigettiBackend(AzureQirBackend):
 
     @abstractmethod
     def __init__(
-        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: Provider = None, **fields
+        self, configuration: BackendConfiguration, provider: "AzureQuantumProvider" = None, **fields
     ):
         super().__init__(configuration, provider, **fields)
 
diff --git a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/provider.py b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/provider.py
index 79fcaf24..17c22f70 100644
--- a/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/provider.py
+++ b/azure-quantum/azure/quantum/qiskit/provider.py
@@ -5,8 +5,9 @@
 
 import warnings
 import inspect
-from itertools import groupby
 from typing import Dict, List, Optional, Tuple, Type
+
+from abc import ABC
 from azure.quantum import Workspace
 
 try:
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@
 
 QISKIT_USER_AGENT = "azure-quantum-qiskit"
 
-class AzureQuantumProvider(Provider):
+class AzureQuantumProvider(ABC):
     
     def __init__(self, workspace: Optional[Workspace]=None, **kwargs):
         """Class for interfacing with the Azure Quantum service
@@ -281,3 +282,9 @@ def _filter_backends(
         backends = list(filter(filters, backends))
         
         return backends
+
+    def __eq__(self, other):
+        """
+        Equality comparison.
+        """
+        return type(self).__name__ == type(other).__name__
diff --git a/azure-quantum/tests/unit/test_session.py b/azure-quantum/tests/unit/test_session.py
index 94f51c34..9dff32f6 100644
--- a/azure-quantum/tests/unit/test_session.py
+++ b/azure-quantum/tests/unit/test_session.py
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ def _azure_config(self) -> Dict[str, str]:
 
     def __init__(self,
                  name: str,
-                 provider: AzureQuantumProvider,
+                 provider: "AzureQuantumProvider",
                  **kwargs):
         super().__init__(name=name, provider=provider)
         self._provider_id = ECHO_PROVIDER_NAME