Finally, an Answer to the Physician Burnout Epidemic

Physician burnout is an epidemic, and like most epidemics, there isn’t one simple solution. In recent years The Greeley Company has been working on a realistic, practical approach to physician burnout. This effort, led by Dr. Rick Sheff, Greeley’s Chief Medical Officer, has now produced a unique diagnosis and treatment plan for turning around the physician burnout epidemic.
 

RS: The imperatives to succeed in today’s healthcare industry are to improve quality and reduce costs. These goals can’t be achieved if physicians and clinicians are burning out. A recent report in Medscape found that 44% of physicians reported at least one symptom of burnout in 2019. The proportion of physicians screening positive for depression continued to rise to almost 42%, and the rate of suicide and depression in doctors is more than twice the general population. This equates to more than one medical school graduating class a year dying from suicide, a grim reminder of one of the most devastating impacts of burnout. There is a return on investment for addressing physician burnout, and it’s also the right thing to do.
 

RS: First, there is emotional exhaustion that often leads to depersonalization, when physicians are unable to connect with their patients and develop a negative attitude. The added stress and unaccounted time required to integrate the electronic health record (EHR) with patient care pulls physicians and clinicians away from the gratification of direct patient interaction. Physicians feel their work with patients is being reduced to a set of metrics, usually metrics they feel don’t reflect the quality and value of their work. Finally, physicians are experiencing a growing sense of “dis-integration”, meaning they no longer feel connected to their fellow physicians or organization. Ultimately, burnout is a symptom of a broken healthcare system.
 

RS: We began by using the medical model. You can't know how to treat a condition until you've made the correct diagnosis. We used Greeley's vast experience with hundreds of hospitals and physician organizations as well as our engagement with thousands of physicians to think outside the box. Knowing physicians have always worked hard, we asked what's really changed in recent years that would cause a dramatic rise in burnout. Some of the answers were surprising and led to new and creative solutions.
 

RS: We have developed an action plan for organizations to better understand and immediately address the multifactorial causes of physician burnout, and practical ways to help turn It around. The diagnosis looks at what’s changed in recent years that is causing epidemic rates of physician burnout through five different diagnostic lenses. These led us to develop a roadmap with eight interrelated work streams that are needed to meaningfully impact burnout.
 

RS: There is an overwhelming need to enhance integration and connectedness among physicians. All too often finding a shared purpose, or ‘Why’ is difficult due to a history of conflict and low levels of trust, especially between physicians and hospitals/healthcare systems. If this describes your organization, I encourage you to take active steps to build a foundation for collaboration going forward. Getting called into and turning around these situations is some of the most gratifying work we do at Greeley.

If you are serious about moving the needle on physician burnout, we are providing a free live webinar on May 23rd to share Greeley’s diagnosis and treatment for physician burnout. We are also hosting two, one-day educational programs later this year as part of Greeley’s Physician and Hospital Leadership national education seminar. Additional details can be found under Resources at Greeley.com.
 

To learn more about The Greeley Company, visit Greeley.com.