For Jefferson Health, achieving Gold-level from the AMA Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program reflects a continued opportunity for growth.
“Every year, during FY goal planning season, we look at the recognition requirements and map out where to spend our resources and energy, based on AMA’s direction of the Joy in Medicine Program,” said Nicole Escobedo, senior director of clinician well-being at Jefferson Health.
The Philadelphia health system’s ascent from Bronze to Silver to Gold-level recognition “tells the story of our journey” and reflects how commitments to physician well-being have grown over time, said Escobedo, noting that recognition from the AMA carries real weight for both credibility and recruitment.
It helps attract new talent, especially as younger physicians increasingly prioritize well-being and work-life balance, she noted.
Jefferson Health 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.
In an interview with AMA, Escobedo joined Amy Jibilian, MD, a pediatrician and well-being clinical lead for Jefferson Health’s Lehigh Valley Region, to discuss the health system’s journey to joy and future goals.
Recognition from the Joy in Medicine Program makes organizational commitment tangible, Escobedo said, emphasizing that “we can say until we’re blue in the face that we’re committed to well-being, but to have a tangible award or a status that we can relay, is valuable.”
It’s an ongoing process, both leaders emphasized. But achieving Gold isn’t an endpoint. Instead, it is a starting point for continued progress. For Jefferson Health, this is a “launching pad” for ongoing work in physician well-being, noted Dr. Jibilian.
Gold level reflects systemic changes
Joy in Medicine Program recognition provides meaningful validation of Jefferson Health’s ongoing efforts, Dr. Jibilian said. It provides clear evidence of the organization’s commitment to prioritizing the well-being of physicians and other health professionals.
The program also drives organizational alignment. The six pillars of the Joy in Medicine Program and the required components created opportunities to have meaningful conversations with leaders, she said, adding that the process requires collaboration, involvement from human resources and our quality, clinical informatics and technology teams, and “increased emphasis on bidirectional communication” between leaders and frontline physicians.
Dr. Jibilian noted that the program reflects a broader shift in how physician burnout is addressed. Historically, she said, the burden was placed on individual physicians to be more resilient. Now, the focus is on system-level change.
As Heather Farley, MD, MHCDS, group vice president of professional satisfaction and practice sustainability for the AMA, says, “Burnout manifests in individuals, but it originates in systems,” Dr. Jibilian said. “This highlights the importance of supporting physicians and nonphysician professionals while at the same time we work to understand and mitigate system-level drivers of burnout.”
As the leader in physician well-being, the AMA provides organizational solutions that help physicians and health systems optimize practice efficiency, reduce burnout, and rediscover the Joy in Medicine.
Practice efficiencies reduce physician burden
Escobedo and Dr. Jibilian pointed to workplace efficiency—particularly the use of augmented intelligence (AI) for ambient scribes—as a pivotal change in reducing physician burden. Ambient AI tools reduce documentation time and after-hours work.
“Clinicians are feeling the impact of time being saved,” said Dr. Jibilian. They have more time for what matters most, which is that face-to-face encounter with patients. The feedback from physicians and care teams has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s been a game changer, she added.
Dr. Jibilian also highlighted expanded mental health support as a key shift. The introduction of 24/7 confidential resources have helped normalize seeking care.
“It’s created all the conversations of destigmatizing mental health,” she said. “It’s OK to be struggling. Don’t carry that on your own.”
In addition, leadership development has played an important role. Efforts to strengthen leadership skills and behaviors have sparked “real robust discussion” and increased awareness among leaders about their impact on clinician well-being, Dr. Jibilian said.
“We are checking in on you”
Looking ahead, Escobedo said maintaining progress at the Gold level requires continuous effort. But this isn’t about hosting a single event or instituting a policy.
“It’s an ongoing process. It’s an ongoing reassessment of if we are serving our clinicians in a way they need to be served,” she said.
With foundational work in place, teams now have more capacity to dig deeper into emerging priorities and root causes of disengagement. “This is freeing up our team’s creative energy,” Escobedo said.
Jefferson Health tracks progress on the systemic drivers of well-being through multiple channels, such as AMA’s Organizational Biopsy® and colleague engagement surveys. Additionally, “We have real-time opportunities to create that bidirectional communication” through town halls, department and division meetings, and listening sessions, said Dr. Jibilian.
Annual assessments using the AMA Organizational Biopsy reinforce accountability and transparency.
This shows that “we are checking in on you. This is not a check the box and move on. We remain committed to this work,” Escobedo said. By sharing results with leaders and frontline physicians, the organization ensures its approach remains aligned and data driven.
“It makes well-being not a fluffy topic,” she added. “It makes it a rigorous operational conversation.”
Through these channels, there are many opportunities for leaders to meet with their frontline clinicians to get direct feedback, Escobedo added.
Additional work is ahead to ensure all physicians and other health professionals feel the impact.
“There are still clinicians who are not feeling the positive effects of all this work,” Escobedo said, adding that it can take time for system-level changes to reach the front lines.
Eventually, they’ll realize their day might look different and might be easier in some ways because of this work, she said.
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.
