Receiving recognition through the AMA Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program marks a significant achievement for a health system. It reflects sustained leadership commitment, meaningful physician input and deliberate work to improve the conditions in which physicians practice.
For the teams behind that progress, recognition offers an important moment to pause, celebrate and acknowledge how far the organization has come.
It should also prompt leaders to ask a new question: What comes next?
Receiving recognition does not mean the work is complete. It does not mean physician burnout has been eliminated or that every cultural and operational burden has been addressed. Instead, it shows that an organization has developed the commitment, structure and experience needed to continue improving.
“Recognition should be viewed as a milestone, as well as a steppingstone to what comes next,” said Heather Farley, MD, MHCDS, group vice president of professional satisfaction and practice sustainability at the AMA. “Joy in Medicine recognition is not a declaration that an organization has eliminated burnout or solved every challenge affecting physicians."
The next phase requires health systems to build on what they have learned. That means leaders must continue listening to physicians, identify the most pressing remaining barriers and hold themselves accountable for meaningful progress. They must also scale successful changes and keep physician well-being connected to organizational strategy and daily operations.
That work continues at every recognition level—even Gold. The designation may change, but the goal remains the same: Create lasting conditions in which physicians can do their best work, and patients can receive high-quality care.
For health systems and organizations who have received recognition from the AMA Joy in Medicine Program, Dr. Farley offers guidance on what’s next to keep the momentum moving forward.
Celebrate and recommit
Recognition gives leaders, physicians and care teams an opportunity to pause and acknowledge their progress. Health systems should celebrate the people who helped measure well-being, elevate physician voices and turn feedback into change.
At the same time, leaders should be candid about the work that remains. They can begin by identifying the most significant barriers still affecting physicians.
“As the AMA consistently emphasizes, well-being should be integrated into overarching organizational strategy and operations, not something done on the side,” Dr. Farley said. “Ultimately, the best way to avoid a check-the-box approach is to remain focused not just on maintaining a designation, but on continually improving physicians’ day-to-day experience of work.”
That means making physician well-being part of decisions about clinical operations, staffing, technology and workflows. It should not be managed as a separate initiative that sits outside the organization’s larger strategy.
When well-being is embedded in routine operations, leaders are more likely to consider how a new policy, technology or staffing decision may shape physicians’ ability to provide high-quality care.
Whether a health system has received Bronze, Silver or Gold-level recognition from the AMA Joy in Medicine Program, it is important to know that the journey doesn’t end here. Dr. Farley shares some key tips for what leaders should keep in mind after receiving recognition to keep the momentum going, including:
- The importance of celebrating the recognition, but also recommitting to ongoing well-being work.
- How health systems can use recognition as a road map to understand strengths and remaining gaps.
- Moving from one recognition level to another can be a meaningful achievement. But a lot of good work can still be happening while you’re remaining at the same level too.
- When physician well-being becomes embedded in the organization’s operations, it may be time to aim for another recognition level.
- Sustained investment in physician well-being can also shape recruitment and retention.
- The AMA’s role does not end when recognition is awarded to a health system. The support continues.
- Achieving Gold-level recognition does not end the journey. It signals that an organization has built the foundation needed to do transformative work.
- Recognition reflects meaningful progress and sustained commitment, sending a message to physicians that they matter, and leaders are committed to helping them do their best work.
