[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":2397,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"The problem of physician burnout is affecting about 50 percent of practicing doctors, and electronic health records are squarely to blame, according to Michael Hodgkins, MD, CMIO at the American Medical Association.

A major contributing factor to this professional dissatisfaction is the fact that for every hour physicians spend on direct patient care, they spend two hours on EHR data entry and other administrative tasks.

\u201cThink about that\u2014twice as much time tending to things that really have very little or nothing to do with direct patient care,\u201d Hodgkins told a CMIO roundtable on Tuesday at the HIMSS18 conference in Las Vegas. \u201cWhen physicians are not involved in how these tools are created, designed and implemented, there are problems.\u201d

This work imbalance is leading to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, as well as feelings of low achievement and decreased effectiveness among doctors.

\u201cWe know from a series of studies that what motivates physicians is time with patients,\u201d says AMA CEO James Madara, MD. \u201cWe want technology, but only technology that works.\u201d

Madara contends that clinicians currently are relegated to the role of glorified data entry clerks, which is a \u201cterrible use of the workforce and terrible result for both the physicians and patients.\u201d

Also See:<\/b> EHR, CPOE use linked to physician burnout and dissatisfaction<\/a>

Not surprisingly, physicians who work in medical specialties on the frontlines of healthcare\u2014such as emergency medicine, family medicine and general internal medicine\u2014are at the highest burnout risk.

\u201cBurnout is associated with bad outcomes in clinical care,\u201d contends Hodgkins. \u201cBurned out physicians do a poor job and create more patient safety events than their colleagues who don\u2019t report significant symptoms.\u201d

It\u2019s the reason that CEOs from some of the country\u2019s most respected healthcare organizations published a paper<\/a> last year in Health Affairs concluding that physician burnout is a nationwide public health crisis.

In addition, physician burnout is also having a financial impact on health systems\u2019 bottom lines.

According to Hodgkins, the loss of productivity because of EHRs at the national level between 2011 and 2014 is estimated to equate to eliminating the graduating classes of seven medical schools. He also said that replacing a physician who leaves practice because of burnout can cost anywhere from $500,000 to $750,000.

\u201cIf your organization isn\u2019t paying attention to this problem, they ought to start,\u201d concluded Hodgkins.

Madara says he is encouraged by the announcement on Tuesday from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma regarding a new Trump Administration initiative\u2014called MyHealthEData\u2014designed in part to streamline documentation and billing requirements for providers to enable doctors to spend more time with their patients.

\u201cWhen you step back and look at the context\u2014(physicians spending) two hours on administrative tasks for every one hour of seeing patients\u2014it\u2019s not surprising that there are multiple pieces to this,\u201d he adds. \u201cI think there\u2019s promise and potential but we have a long way to go.\u201d","saveContent":"The problem of physician burnout is affecting about 50 percent of practicing doctors, and electronic health records are squarely to blame, according to Michael Hodgkins, MD, CMIO at the American Medical Association.

A major contributing factor to this professional dissatisfaction is the fact that for every hour physicians spend on direct patient care, they spend two hours on EHR data entry and other administrative tasks.

\u201cThink about that\u2014twice as much time tending to things that really have very little or nothing to do with direct patient care,\u201d Hodgkins told a CMIO roundtable on Tuesday at the HIMSS18 conference in Las Vegas. \u201cWhen physicians are not involved in how these tools are created, designed and implemented, there are problems.\u201d

This work imbalance is leading to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, as well as feelings of low achievement and decreased effectiveness among doctors.

\u201cWe know from a series of studies that what motivates physicians is time with patients,\u201d says AMA CEO James Madara, MD. \u201cWe want technology, but only technology that works.\u201d

Madara contends that clinicians currently are relegated to the role of glorified data entry clerks, which is a \u201cterrible use of the workforce and terrible result for both the physicians and patients.\u201d

Also See:<\/b> EHR, CPOE use linked to physician burnout and dissatisfaction<\/a>

Not surprisingly, physicians who work in medical specialties on the frontlines of healthcare\u2014such as emergency medicine, family medicine and general internal medicine\u2014are at the highest burnout risk.

\u201cBurnout is associated with bad outcomes in clinical care,\u201d contends Hodgkins. \u201cBurned out physicians do a poor job and create more patient safety events than their colleagues who don\u2019t report significant symptoms.\u201d

It\u2019s the reason that CEOs from some of the country\u2019s most respected healthcare organizations published a paper<\/a> last year in Health Affairs concluding that physician burnout is a nationwide public health crisis.

In addition, physician burnout is also having a financial impact on health systems\u2019 bottom lines.

According to Hodgkins, the loss of productivity because of EHRs at the national level between 2011 and 2014 is estimated to equate to eliminating the graduating classes of seven medical schools. He also said that replacing a physician who leaves practice because of burnout can cost anywhere from $500,000 to $750,000.

\u201cIf your organization isn\u2019t paying attention to this problem, they ought to start,\u201d concluded Hodgkins.

Madara says he is encouraged by the announcement on Tuesday from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma regarding a new Trump Administration initiative\u2014called MyHealthEData\u2014designed in part to streamline documentation and billing requirements for providers to enable doctors to spend more time with their patients.

\u201cWhen you step back and look at the context\u2014(physicians spending) two hours on administrative tasks for every one hour of seeing patients\u2014it\u2019s not surprising that there are multiple pieces to this,\u201d he adds. \u201cI think there\u2019s promise and potential but we have a long way to go.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

EHRs get most blame for epidemic of physician burnout

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