– The American Medical Association (AMA) launches Practice Transformation Initiative to combat the root causes of physician burnout and dissatisfaction.
– The Practice Transformation Initiative will support research and advance evidence-based solutions by collaborating with organizations who are committed to the practice transformation journey.
– Initiative features the Physicians Foundation supporting the engagement of interested state medical societies that will recruit health systems and practice sites within their states to participate in this innovative initiative.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has announced the launch of the Practice Transformation Initiative in an effort to combat the root causes of physician burnout and dissatisfaction. While the frequency, causes and impact of professional fatigue and burnout among physicians have been well researched, the mission of the Practice Transformation Initiative is to fill the knowledge gaps regarding effective interventions to reduce burnout.
The Bigger Picture
Physician burnout is often the term healthcare professionals use to capture all associated symptoms including occupational stress, depression, career dissatisfaction, and moral distress or injury. Research has shown that physician burnout is also strongly correlated with medical errors, high turnover, and reduced health system performance.
Moreover, it impacts the health of clinicians and contributes to the loss of practicing physicians. Not only is the rate of occupational stress among physicians increasing, research also shows its effects lead to more expensive healthcare and less satisfied patients
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“Since 2013, the AMA has been leading the national conversation on physician burnout with innovative research and bold advocacy aimed at removing obstacles and burdens that contribute to symptoms of burnout in 44 percent of physicians,” said AMA Board Chair Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D., M.P.H. “While AMA efforts to date have increased awareness of the physician burnout crisis at all levels and driven positive change, there is an immediate need for transformational solutions.”
Collaborative Mission of Practice Transformation Initiative
Practice Transformation Initiative includes the Physicians Foundation supporting the engagement of interested state medical societies, with an initial cohort of the Medical Society of New Jersey, North Carolina Medical Society and Washington State Medical Association. Each of these societies will recruit health systems and practice sites within their states to participate in this innovative initiative. This collaborative approach will establish multiple venues for field testing and studying results, generating evidence-based research and accelerating the spread of innovations that support clinician satisfaction.
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Larger Call to Action Across The Industry
To keep the health care system focused on driving improvements, the Practice Transformation Initiative will leverage the AMA’s collaborative expertise to:
– Convene experts from around the health care system in a virtual community for proactive dialogue, consensus on solutions and collaborative sharing of best practice for improving clinician satisfaction. This shared learning effort will promote awareness of best practices and successful efforts to reduce administrative burden.
– Activate change at the organizational level through AMA resources, such as STEPS Forward and events. Health care institutions will be assisted in measuring burnout and its drivers and provide practical resources that support transformation to the Quadruple Aim.
– Recognize success among health systems and practices that have committed to efforts that improve physician satisfaction and reduce burnout. Organizations can apply to a recognition program that evaluates achievements against criteria demonstrating competencies in commitment, assessment, leadership, efficiency of practice environment, teamwork and support.
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AMA’s Tools, Information, And Resources for Physicians to Rekindle The Joy in Medicine
The AMA offers physicians and health systems a choice of cutting-edge tools, information, and resources to help rekindle a joy in medicine, including:
· STEPS Forward — The AMA offers a collection of more than 50 award‐winning online tools that help physicians and medical teams make transformative changes to their practices and covers everything from managing stress and preventing burnout to improving practice workflow.
· Institutional Assessments — The AMA assesses burnout levels within medical organizations to provide a baseline metric for implementing solutions and interventions that reduce system-level burnout rates and improve physician well-being.
· American Conference on Physician Health — The AMA, Mayo Clinic and Stanford Medicine host a unique conference to be held Sept. 19-21 in Charlotte, N.C. to promote health and well-being in the ranks of U.S. physicians.
· Debunking Regulatory Myths — The AMA provides regulatory clarifications to physicians and their care teams to aid in their day-to-day practice environment.
· EHRSeeWhatWeMean.org — A collaboration between the AMA and MedStar Health to demonstrate the risks and challenges caused by poor usability in electronic health record technology that reduce time available for physicians to care for patients.
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