More than half of U.S. physicians have experienced burnout, and burnout remains one of the key issues facing health care systems today. This is largely due to practice inefficiencies (e.g., systemic issues, administrative burdens, workplace chaos, and reporting requirements) and organizational culture (e.g., lack of connectedness, reduced control, diminished meaning in work, lack of trust).
Organizational Biopsy®
Reducing burnout impacts an organization’s professional satisfaction, financial well-being and workflow efficiency—and is an essential component for providing high-quality patient care.
The Organizational Biopsy® (PDF) is an assessment tool and set of services to support health systems in holistically measuring and taking action to improve the health of their organization. The Organizational Biopsy provides a comprehensive assessment across four domains:
- Organizational Culture (leadership, teamwork, trust, etc.)
- Practice Efficiency (team structure, team stability, workflows, etc.)
- Self-Care (post-traumatic stress, post-traumatic growth, work-life balance, etc.)
- Retention (work intentions)
Following an assessment, organizations receive an executive summary of key findings and access to the Organizational Biopsy data through an online reporting platform. This platform also includes national comparison data. AMA experts can also provide ongoing guidance and communication on interventions, research and convening opportunities in support of ongoing improvement efforts.
Why Measure?
A well-being strategy that includes conducting an annual burnout assessment is critical to understanding and addressing your organization’s health. By measuring operational effectiveness and the well-being of your physicians and care team members, you can readily identify and target meaningful interventions. An annual assessment will help you to:
- Identify and assess underlying drivers of burnout within your organization.
- Reduce drivers of stress within your organization.
- Understand your organization’s unique needs to support professional well-being.
- Proactively initiate institutional support to help individuals thrive before, during, and after a crisis.
Criteria
The Organizational Biopsy is currently available to health systems with at least 50 physicians and/or advanced practice providers. Organizations intending to conduct an assessment must complete an agreement and set up an informational meeting with the AMA Practice Transformation team to plan and prepare for the assessment process.
The Assessment Process
The AMA Practice Transformation team provides hands-on support to design, build, and deploy your assessment. The AMA Data Lab provides a one-of-a-kind online dashboard to review results and stratify data, and AMA experts offer a series of strategies and resources for your organization. No matter where you are on your practice transformation journey, our team will be right there with you.
Go deeper with the AMA Health System Program
The AMA Health System Program goes even deeper than the Organizational Biopsy, collaborating with leadership to improve physician well-being by providing tailored solutions that maximize support to physicians and care teams.
