When Shawn C. Jones, MD, an otolaryngologist, stepped into his role as the medical director of provider wellness for Baptist Health Medical Group in 2020, the timing was certainly daunting. Health care systems across the world were in crisis mode, navigating the immediate and long-term fallout from the COVID-19 public health emergency.
As physician burnout accelerated under unprecedented clinical, operational and emotional strain, Dr. Jones recognized that supporting doctors’ well-being demanded organizational alignment. He has since committed himself to improving physician well-being, working to make physician burnout reduction a clear organizational priority for Baptist Health.
“Trying to improve the physician experience at Baptist has really been a journey, and the AMA’s been a great partner for us in that,” Dr. Jones said during an AMA Insight Network webinar on lessons from leaders about physician well-being.
Baptist Health Medical Group is part of the AMA Health System Member Program, which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
That journey has been deliberately multipronged, grounded in—and powered by—data, processes and partnerships. This all centers on the goal to drive measurable physician well-being improvements across Baptist Health.
Measuring the problem
Dr. Jones started with data. To move beyond assumptions, Baptist Health used the AMA’s Organizational Biopsy® to measure physician burnout systemwide. These results provided Baptist Health with a baseline and understanding of where the organization stood.
From there, Dr. Jones and his team used the AMA’s Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program framework to guide its efforts to build a culture of well-being. The Joy in Medicine program empowers health systems to reduce burnout and build well-being so that physicians and their patients can thrive.
Baptist Health’s first application for Joy in Medicine recognition in 2024 didn’t yield recognition. But rather than viewing this as a setback, Dr. Jones and his team used actionable feedback from the Joy in Medicine review committee to refine their strategy and address gaps. In 2025, these efforts paid off with the health system earning Bronze-level recognition.
While Dr. Jones was proud of this accomplishment, he knew the journey was far from over.
“The wellness work is my passion,” said Dr. Jones. “That’s what fuels me and brings meaning to the rest of the work that I do in otolaryngology. Finding the people who have a similar interest or passion in physician wellness to partner with to move the needle is an exciting opportunity.”
Getting leadership on board
The process of applying for Joy in Medicine recognition helped Dr. Jones make the business case for physician well-being. Using the Joy in Medicine framework, he calculated the cost of physician burnout to the organization and the potential return on investment that well-being programs offered.
“When you can put a number to your turnover rate and your stay rate, you show the C-suite and administrative teams what burnout is costing the organization,” he said. “Then, an investment to mitigate it makes perfect sense.”
By framing physician well-being as a financial and strategic imperative tied to retention, recruitment and performance, Dr. Jones helped launch this work to the top of the organization’s priorities.
Dr. Jones also understood that executive buy-in was just one step in the process. For well-being to take root, leaders at every level—from department administrators to the frontline supervisors—needed to get on board with this as a strategic goal.
So, he broadened his outreach and started regularly connecting with service line and departmental leaders.
“Meeting with them allows me to discuss wellness and what we're doing as a wellness committee, while also allowing me to hear directly from them about the issues they’re facing and how we can address them in proactive ways,” Dr. Jones explained.
He also began attending operational leadership meetings to learn more about barriers to physician well-being emerging across different teams.
“These meetings help me reach mid-level managers who have their tentacles in the organization at a deeper level,” he said.
One of Dr. Jones’ strongest collaborators has been Brett Oliver, MD, a family physician and chief medical information officer for Baptist Health. Through this partnership, Dr. Jones gained deeper insight into the role technology plays as both a source of frustration for physicians, as well as a way to support them.
“Dr. Oliver often brings details to my attention that I would have been unaware of in terms of impacts to physician well-being,” he said.
These outreach efforts have all evolved into more than just listening sessions. They have become part of a strategic initiative to build engagement and shared ownership for physician well-being.
“Often, people view the organization through their direct supervisor or leader,” Dr. Jones said. “So, it’s really important that these [leaders] are engaged in the wellness journey.”
Through these steady engagement efforts, Dr. Jones laid the groundwork for weaving well-being into the fabric of the organization.
One vision, eight campuses
However, one of the biggest challenges Baptist Health has faced in its well-being journey is determining how to successfully implement a unified plan across the health system’s eight separate campuses throughout Kentucky.
This logistical hurdle complicated Dr. Jones’ efforts to fully understand the distinct physician experiences and challenges at each site.
To bridge the gap, he and his team recently launched a systemwide well-being champion program. The model relies on location-specific wellness advocates and teams who are responsible for communicating and implementing the broader strategy on their respective campuses.
“Having individuals who can be boots on the ground with their fingers on the pulse of what’s happening is very important to our work,” said Dr. Jones.
To bring this program to life, Dr. Jones tapped into the relationships and credibility he built during the Joy in Medicine application process. This time, Dr. Jones made the business case for dedicated support and compensation for the champions.
“I needed the administration to see the value of [the wellness champion program] and then support it an administrative position,” he explained.
Ultimately, Dr. Jones was able to secure a part-time administrator to help build and manage the wellness champion program, along with financial support for the well-being ambassadors.
“Our C-suite has seen the importance of having a network of people who are interested in this work, and they put money behind it,” he said.
Identifying and supporting champions
To build a successful wellness champion program, Dr. Jones and his team sought individuals who could represent different specialties across the eight Baptist Health campuses. Recruiting individuals to take on additional responsibilities is always a challenge given the many day-to-day demands on physicians’ time.
“Getting individuals in place has been a little bit more difficult than I anticipated,” he explained. “It's not just about identifying those people who you think might be good, but you also have to make sure those people have a passion for the work, an interest in it and can bring something to the table.”
To build capabilities and consistency, each champion must complete a well-being champion course as part of their onboarding. From there, wellness champions report directly to their campus chief medical officer and participate in virtual monthly meetings with the system’s well-being committee.
The program is still in its nascent stages and will continue to evolve.
“Communication is going to be key in this program, and it will probably change as time goes along and we see what’s working and what is not,” Dr. Jones said. “The structure we put in place will not be immobile. But so far, it has really helped our wellness committee be more robust in how we address issues throughout the organization.”
While the wellness champion program is already helping Dr. Jones and his team expand their reach, he knows building a culture of well-being cannot simply rest on a small group of dedicated advocates.
“This work is too important and too big for any one person in any one geographic location,” he said. “In a lot of my discussions, I try to get physicians thinking about wellness, where they are and what they’re doing about it. We need people to look out for their colleagues and themselves as their own personal wellness champions too.”
Download the 2025 AMA Joy in Medicine magazine (log into your AMA account to view) to see whether your organization is part of the prestigious group of 164 organizations across 40 states and the District of Columbia that are currently recognized for their dedication to physician well-being.
AMA STEPS Forward® offers real-world solutions to common challenges in health care today. Explore a variety of innovative, physician-developed resources designed to help prevent physician burnout, optimize workflows, improve well-being and enhance patient care.
