Health systems across the country are embracing the fact that physician well-being is not a one-time initiative. It is a continuous journey that requires measurement, leadership commitment and meaningful change in day-to-day practice. As physician burnout continues to strain the health care workforce, more organizations are moving beyond awareness toward structured, systemwide strategies that support physicians and the patients they serve.
That broader shift is reflected in Texas Children’s Pediatrics, which received Bronze-level recognition from the AMA’s Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program. The Joy in Medicine Program empowers health systems to reduce burnout and build well-being so that physicians and their patients can thrive.
The distinction highlights the deliberate steps the organization has taken to assess burnout, strengthen leadership engagement and improve practice conditions as part of an ongoing commitment to physician well-being. It also signals that Texas Children’s Pediatrics is not treating well-being as a side project, but as a strategic priority tied to patient care, workforce stability and long-term performance.
Texas Children's Pediatrics 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.
“When we started down this road over five years ago, our goal wasn’t to just go for recognition. We were really about this work to serve from a well-being perspective, and we are focused on doing what’s right for our physicians, providers, and team members,” said Dan Gollins, president of Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Urgent Care. “We aren’t doing this just to get an award to put on our wall or to have some recognition. It’s great. We absolutely love the recognition and the support, but it’s about doing what’s right and this is a byproduct of doing what’s right.”
“In terms of championing the Joy in Medicine application, it evolved very organically,” said Sapna Singh, MD, a pediatrician and chief medical officer at Texas Children’s Pediatrics. “We were doing the work, and we were looking for help with some of the strategic planning around what our wellness committee had already initiated and that’s when we really came upon the Joy in Medicine framework and road map.”
“From there, we were able to use that to leverage what they had already mapped out as being ways that you can change things at the system level,” Dr. Singh added. “That’s what helped a lot of people buy into Joy in Medicine as a road map for us to follow. And, of course, the recognition came with that.”
“The recognition certainly highlights the hard work that Dr. Singh and all of our engagement and wellness committee physicians have put in,” Gollins said. “It’s shown a partnership amongst our administrative team to be willing to sit, listen and take action in alignment with our clinicians.”
But recognition is not the finish line for Texas Children’s Pediatrics. Instead, it is a step in an ongoing process of listening to physicians, measuring what matters and translating feedback into meaningful improvements.
It’s about the well-being journey
While the designation from the AMA is important, Dr. Singh shared, “We weren’t really looking at the recognition. We were looking at the journey, the work. We wanted to be able to really get through that road map and be successful with some of the different initiatives at each of the levels that are assessed.”
“Starting with the assessment piece, we’d already done that. We’d already conducted a well-being survey to assess wellness across our physicians throughout our system,” she said. “Then to be able to take that and look at where these results are going to be effective and how we can move them through strategically, that is where the Joy in Medicine road map was really helpful.”
“Our engagement and wellness committee was brought in because what Joy in Medicine has done really well is focus on changing the system and moving beyond the focus on an individual,” Dr. Singh said. “No matter how resilient you are, if the system is not working around you, it becomes very difficult to be able to thrive and do the meaningful work you’re looking for.”
Collaboration is key to making progress
An aspect of the program that grabbed Dr. Singh’s attention was how much collaboration is needed to move the well-being work forward at Texas Children’s Pediatrics.
“You would assume that burnout at the clinical level is very much around that clinic environment and what’s happening right there on the ground,” she said, “but as you look at what health care looks like—the landscape, the environment that we’re working in—you really need every part of the system to be able to work together.”
This is where the Texas Children’s Pediatrics leadership team had buy-in from the very beginning.
“To have the buy-in from the top is where decisions can be influenced and where decisions can be changed and made,” Dr. Singh said.
For example, the work done day in and day out with the in-basket workload is part of the Epic EHR team. This team had to talk to the quality team to decrease certain types of workflows that are associated with metrics to meet or exceed year after year.
“The collaboration that is required to do this successfully is what surprised me because a lot of people will take well-being and they’ll start with something like a committee to go out and do cupcake or pizza parties,” Dr. Singh said. “That’s work on the local level to try to make things feel better.
“But to make the work truly better, you need to get the entire team behind it. Everybody has to contribute to make that happen, especially leadership and clinicians,” she added.
Offer the right tools for behavioral health
Part of the work that made a big difference for physicians has been an immersive program for behavioral health. This need was identified in Texas Children’s Pediatrics’ well-being survey.
“One of the things physicians said was giving them the most burnout or struggle was the fact that they didn’t have the tools to deal with behavioral health patients,” Gollins said. “Offering an immersive training was hands down the best thing we’ve ever done. Unanimously, if you ask every one of our physicians, it’ll be the most positive thing that we’ve offered.”
“It was not cheap—it was over a quarter of a million dollars that we invested into this program initially—but it allowed our physicians to have the right tools to support our patients,” he said. “Many of our physicians, when they were in residency and fellowship, behavioral health wasn’t part of the training program. Now most of our physicians are trained to support the needs of our patients more adequately as it relates to behavioral health needs.”
“We launched this program, which rolled into a much larger and robust integrated behavioral health program with psychiatrists, psychologists and behavioral health clinicians now embedded within our clinics,” Gollins said.
“The behavioral health piece was very important and life altering for physicians when we received that training,” Dr. Singh said.
The well-being work is never done
With Bronze-level recognition in hand, Texas Children’s Pediatrics has plans to level up this year. While that is not the main goal of this well-being work, it is a sign that the organization is on the right path.
“The recognition has been very reassuring that our work is appreciated and valued,” Dr. Singh said. “There is also some standardization to what is being done across the country. It’s not just us as a system, but other organizations are following a similar road map to get to the same goal, which is to fundamentally change the landscape of burnout for clinical teams.”
“What’s important is that we didn’t stop there,” she said. “For us, the recognition was not the end goal. We are really working towards improvement day in and day out.”
“Reapplying is the idea that we feel like we are continuing to evolve and when we look at what the road map shows, it’s building upon each of the steps you’ve already successfully completed,” Dr. Singh said.
Texas Children’s Pediatrics is “not going to stop at Silver or Gold. The journey continues,” she added. “You’ve got all these other things that need to continue to be built upon, so we’re applying because we know we never really stopped doing the work.”
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.
