As Hattiesburg Clinic navigates a leadership transition in its physician well-being efforts, maintaining continuity and connection with its physicians has remained a central focus.
“We’re trying to be pretty intentional about not losing momentum during this transition,” said Nancy Salloum Harrison, MD, a rheumatologist at Hattiesburg Clinic’s The Arthritis Center–West. “Our previous leadership has built a strong foundation, and we’re trying to continue what it started while also expanding it.”
To accommodate this transition, the Mississippi health system decided to pause its reapplication to the AMA Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program while it reassesses physician well-being priorities.
This approach has meant continuing established initiatives, such as small-group sessions, onboarding lectures and EHR improvements, while introducing new opportunities for engagement.
Its strategy also involves a little fun—and some athletic engagement.
“We’ve launched some new physician connection events like pickleball socials and well-being lecture series,” noted Dr. Harrison, adding that “we want to provide opportunities for physicians to feel connected. We hope to increase physician engagement as we open new goals and objectives for the future.”
Hattiesburg Clinic 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 2024, it earned Bronze-level recognition in the Joy in Medicine Program.
As the leader in physician well-being, the AMA is reducing physician burnout by removing administrative burdens and providing real-world solutions to help doctors rediscover the Joy in Medicine.
Committee structure drives continuity
Hattiesburg Clinic’s well-being committee has been a central factor in sustaining progress across the system.
“This committee is both a planning and a working group,” said Dr. Harrison, who is a member of the well-being committee. “We identify needs, we create new initiatives and make sure that things keep moving forward.”
The group has expanded in size and structure, now including four physician members, a physician chair and added administrative support. This has provided structure and direction during a period of transition, said Dr. Harrison.
“I feel like this committee is definitely more than about burnout,” she noted. “It’s about creating a culture where physicians feel connected, supported and valued as individual people.”
Reducing the in-basket, fostering peer support
At the same time, reducing administrative burden remains a critical focus. The organization continues to partner with its EHR committee to address in-basket and documentation challenges, including developing practical tools and educational resources for physicians.
“We’re creating ‘in-basket tips and tricks’ videos to highlight shortcuts to help physicians reduce EMR time.” said Dr. Harrison.
Peer support is another emerging priority. Hattiesburg Clinic is developing an outreach program for physicians coping with adverse clinical events or difficult patient outcomes.
“A lot of times physicians feel like they’re alone in dealing with these things,” Dr. Harrison said. “We need to make sure we have an outreach program or easy access to someone to talk to when we are having a hard time.”
Additionally, the Clinic has highlighted physician recognition and appreciation with annual physician department of the year awards that peers can vote for, added Dr. Harrison. This is announced at the yearly physician shareholder social.
Measuring impact and driving engagement
Like many organizations, Hattiesburg Clinic faces challenges around engagement and measurement.
“Engagement is challenging for sure,” Dr. Harrison said, citing competing priorities. “Making sure that we keep well-being at the top of the list takes quite a bit of effort.”
To better assess progress, Hattiesburg Clinic has used the AMA Organizational Biopsy® tool and plans to conduct the survey annually moving forward.
“We'll dissect that information and meet with department chairs to focus on department specific improvements,” said Dr. Harrison.
To gather feedback and foster connection, Hattiesburg Clinic hosts small-group dinner discussions with physicians. The Clinic also encourages participation in physician-led committees across the organization that address marketing, EHR, quality control, benefits and finance.
With about 300 physicians, Hattiesburg Clinic is also working to improve internal awareness and collaboration. For this reason, it created a new committee to help physicians better understand available services and connect patients more effectively across specialties.
Looking toward the future, strengthening communication efforts across the organization remains a top priority.
“We want to strengthen relationships from physician to physician,” as well as create opportunities for engagement with the broader community, she said.
“Doing it the right way”
Hattiesburg Clinic recently chose to delay applying for national recognition through the Joy in Medicine Program, opting instead to further develop its strategy.
“It really came down to wanting to do this the right way,” Dr. Harrison said. “We developed a clear goal with clear objectives and just didn’t feel that we had the time to demonstrate a real impact.”
She added that taking additional time will allow the organization to more fully integrate physician well-being into its culture and strengthen long-term sustainability.
For health systems undergoing similar transitions, Dr. Harrison emphasized the importance of shared leadership and clear direction.
“You can’t just rely on one person to lead this,” she said. “Creating a strong committee structure and setting clear goals will help us successfully achieve our objectives.”
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