Health systems help doctors bogged down by administrative burdens

Perhaps the least fulfilling—but most time-consuming—part of a physician’s workday involves administrative tasks such as intensive documentation, toiling in the EHR and sifting through masses of electronic messages. That administrative overload, and the resulting overwork and “pajama time” required after-hours, directly contributes to the physician burnout epidemic that affects nearly half of physicians in the U.S. 

But physicians don’t have to be bogged down with administrative burdens. Health systems increasingly are finding ways to chart a course out of the administrative Bermuda Triangle. 

Here is a list of how members of the AMA Health System Program—which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine—are taking the problem head-on to reduce the administrative burdens plaguing doctors.

1. Confluence Health makes small changes to get big results in the EHR

   1. One of the most frequent issues C. Becket Mahnke, MD, CMIO at Confluence Health, hears about from physicians is the significant burden placed on them by the EHR system. Stories of physicians spending long hours charting into the night, getting buried by patient messages, and feeling like data-entry clerks rather than highly skilled clinicians have become all too common across the health care landscape. Learn how small steps at Confluence Health add up to much less “pajama time” for physicians.

2. Geisinger strategically deploys AI to let physicians focus on care

   1. Augmented intelligence (AI)—often called artificial intelligence—has emerged as a transformative technological force in health care, offering promising solutions to alleviate the growing burden on physicians while enhancing patient care. By harnessing the power of health care AI, physicians and other health professionals at Geisinger can streamline processes, optimize workflows and ultimately reclaim valuable hours in the day.

3. Hattiesburg Clinic finds high-tech scribes lessen “pajama time”

   1. Throughout the years at Hattiesburg Clinic, different strategies have been explored to help physicians take notes during appointments. By using AI scribes, training on how best to use the technology and testing of different vendors, Hattiesburg Clinic has seen improvements in after-hours documentation, leading to lower burnout rates and higher job satisfaction. Learn more about how ambient AI lowers stress and burnout for doctors at Hattiesburg Clinic.

4. Ochsner Health uses AI to fine-tune physician EHR messages 

   1. With so many patient messages coming into a portal, it’s possible to miss important details, especially if a message were long and convoluted. But by using AI as a tool, physicians get an assist in message analysis. At Ochsner Health, physicians and other care team members can use AI prompts to help draft responses to patient portal messages. They’ve found AI can sift through long messages, rapidly examine the patient’s entire history and suggest answers in a helpful tone. Though a human always edits and approves responses, the technology gives physicians a time-saving head start. Discover more about how Ochsner Health uses AI to reduce inbox messages.

5. Sutter Health thinks creatively about reducing administrative burdens

   1. Physicians are increasingly burdened by excessive “pajama time,” sacrificing personal and family time to complete administrative tasks outside of regular work hours. Exacerbated by the growing demands of EHRs, this leads to heightened levels of physician burnout and takes a toll on doctors’ well-being and overall job satisfaction. At Sutter Health, ob-gyns were bringing in chaperones for appointments, so they opted to train medical assistants to be both chaperones and scribes, combining work and freeing up the physician to attend to patient care. They’ve also tackled so-called “note bloat” by educating physicians about the ability to use time-based billing instead of note-documentation billing. Find out how Sutter Health gives physicians time back in their days.

6. Texas Children’s Pediatrics finds virtual solutions

   1. With documentation being a particularly onerous task for pediatricians, who often have the highest percentages of burnout among other physician specialties, Texas Children’s Pediatrics decided to implement a pilot program that offered virtual help in the form of AI scribes. They also rolled out an app that helps patients check symptoms on nights and weekends and determine how quickly they need to be seen. Discover more about how Texas Children’s Pediatrics is reducing the administrative burden for pediatricians.

7. The Permanente Medical Group saves doctors an hour a day with AI scribes

   1. When a health system rolls out new technology that it insists will make physicians’ lives easier, the announcement is typically met with skepticism. But the use of AI has changed that. The Permanente Medical Group’s rollout of ambient AI scribes to reduce documentation burdens has been deemed a success, saving most of the physicians using it an average of one hour a day at the keyboard. Patients also report enjoying the increased attention from their physicians, who can interact more closely with them during appointments. Learn more about how The Permanente Medical Group uses AI scribes to save time.

8. The Southeast Permanente Medical Group engaging IT to remove "pebbles"

   1. While The Southeast Permanente Medical Group had a well-being committee in place for years, a recent change put IT up front in discussions about physician burnout. Bringing IT to the table really began with The Southeast Permanente Medical Group’s previous work to improve operational inefficiencies with its “Pebbles in the Shoe” campaign. This effort set out to identify and reduce inefficiencies and documentation burdens by offering a three-week challenge period for physicians and teams to submit ideas, or “pebbles,” for improving efficiencies. The effort helped lead to a drop in the burnout rate among physicians from 48% in 2022 to 43% in just one year. Find out more about The Southeast Permanente Medical Group’s campaign.

9. Washington Permanente Medical Group deals with the gender gap in burnout

   1. Women physicians are more likely to experience burnout than their male counterparts, which is why Washington Permanente Medical Group targeted some of its efforts, including by creating a women’s leadership coaching pilot program. As a result, well-being scores have improved, from 58.1% to 62.6%, and they’ve seen a significant narrowing of the gap between men and women physicians, from a 4.6% gap in 2022 to a .9% gap the next year. Discover other ways Washington Permanente Medical Group is reducing administrative burdens.

As the leader in physician well-being, the AMA is reducing physician burnout by removing administrative burdens and providing real-world solutions to help doctors rediscover the Joy in Medicine™.

The standard of care in physician well-being recognition

Institutions in this article have been honored by the Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program.

Learn More