Mary Pan, MD, remembers what it was like tracking patient conditions on paper charts. She also remembers the frustrations she had as the widespread adoption of EHRs led to more challenges for her and her fellow physicians.

As augmented intelligence (AI)—often called artificial intelligence—becomes more commonplace in health care, Dr. Pan is not feeling quite so frustrated. Frankly, she's excited about how AI is already supporting those in her medical group and its potential to have a lasting impact on clinician well-being. 

"Ambient AI is a big thing that a lot of organizations are implementing, including my own," said Dr. Pan, a family physician and chief wellness officer at Washington Permanente Medical Group. "Seeing those changes are very different than when the electronic health record was first developed.” 

That is because when the EHR was first developed, they were “not taking that clinician viewpoint into mind, but now with ambient AI, they really are,” she added.   

Washington Permanente Medical Group is a member 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.

Health IT developers are now "thinking about usability for our clinicians or people who are front and center with the patient and providing patient care," Dr. Pan said. "What is this experience like? And how can we make that more streamlined and more efficient for the user? That approach has changed in recent years."

Dr. Pan spoke about that difference and how ambient AI can help reduce the gender gap in physician burnout in a recent episode of “AMA Update.”

In 2023, nearly 55% of women physicians reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout compared with 42% of men, according to exclusive AMA survey data. 

Women physicians are also less likely to feel valued, at 45.8%, compared with 56.3% of men who felt valued. And while 71.7% of women physicians did report feeling satisfied with their jobs, that was still lower than the 73.9% of male physicians feeling that way. All the figures—for both women and men—improved at least slightly according to exclusive AMA survey data in 2022, but the gender gap remained steady.

Mary Pan, MD (Photo by Julie Nimmergut)

Dr. Pan said her organization saw a similar inequity. For women physicians within Washington Permanente Medical Group, two of the biggest factors that contributed to burnout were documentation and work outside the office. 

That is another reason why she's optimistic about incorporating AI into the workflow.

"Part of addressing this gap between men and women is taking a holistic approach to the disproportionately experienced burden of work outside of work on women," she said. “That includes some long-term interventions of systems that reduce that burden, such as ambient AI, artificial intelligence assistance, adequate staffing and resources, and improved teamwork."

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™.

Washington Permanente Medical Group still sees a gender gap in burnout. But the gap itself has shrunk from year to year, Dr. Pan said. She credits that to work the health system has already done related to coaching and peer support, specifically for women.

To that end, Washington Permanente Medical Group recently launched its fourth women's coaching cohort. The program features both individual and group coaching, as well as an asynchronous professional development platform. 

"We've also established an internal, individual coaching program for our local operational leaders, many of whom are our women leaders and newer to that operational leadership position," Dr. Pan said.

There also is a senior women's leadership group—comprised of board members and executive women—that meets quarterly. More recent initiatives include establishing a yearly conference and monthly podcast to build connection, collegiality, mentoring and sponsorship among women physicians and other health professionals. 

Dr. Pan also credited the AMA’s Joy in Medicine program with helping the Washington Permanente Medical Group make a difference for women physicians. The medical group received bronze level recognition in 2023.

The program empowers health systems to reduce burnout by implementing initiatives and policies that actively support well-being and building a culture committed to increasing joy in medicine.

"We really appreciate the Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program because it provides an evidence-based road map for organizations to really make an impact in a comprehensive approach to clinician well-being," Dr. Pan said. "We've used that approach to identify particular needs of different groups, including our women clinicians. 

“Seeing that decrease in the burnout rates between men and women clinicians year-over-year has really shown that those interventions we've enacted have made the difference," she added. 

“AMA Update” is your source for physician-focused news. Hear from physicians and other experts on trending public health concerns, practice issues and more—because who’s doing the talking matters. Catch every episode by subscribing to the AMA’s YouTube channel or listen to all AMA podcasts at ama-assn.org/podcasts.

The use of AI in health care evokes greater enthusiasm and less apprehension than it once did among a growing number of physicians. Learn more from a new AMA survey on AI use (PDF).

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