At Confluence Health, the well-being of physicians and care teams isn’t just a checkbox—it’s a compass guiding the organization’s approach to health care delivery. As part of its commitment to improving well-being and reducing physician burnout, Confluence Health is taking intentional steps through assessment to ensure that the voices of its physicians, nonphysician providers and other health professionals are heard and acted upon.
By analyzing trends and listening closely to the people behind the stethoscopes, Confluence Health aims to create a culture where physicians know they matter, and where their well-being is seen as inseparable from that of their patients. After all, a thriving health care team is the foundation of a thriving community.
“It is important to assess well-being and burnout and to use the assessments as an opportunity to listen to our physicians and respond so that they feel they matter and that their well-being is important to the organization,” says Makrina Shanbour, MD, a hospitalist and director of provider experience at Confluence Health in Wenatchee, Washington.
This is important because “the health of our patients is tied to the health of the physicians and their teams,” Dr. Shanbour adds.
To assess physician well-being, Confluence Health uses the AMA’s Organizational Biopsy® every other year, alternating with the Arch Collaborative Survey. This allows the health system to watch trends internally while also comparing results with national benchmarks. Beyond that, Confluence Health does a yearly Gallup Engagement survey, Mayo Leadership Index and ongoing evaluation of EHR data.
“Results are analyzed as a whole and then broken down to the department level, when possible, so that we can see the departments that are doing well and those that could use some help,” Dr. Shanbour says. “We also look at departments that are thriving so that we can find out why they are doing well and share best practices.”
One highlight from the assessment is that there has been “a significant decrease in burnout in our family practice clinicians and we associate that decrease with the significant work on primary care redesign over the last couple of years,” she says.
All data from the surveys are reviewed by the director of provider experience and shared with Confluence Health leaders and the Wenatchee Valley Medical Group board as well as the Provider Experience Committee. It is also shared more broadly with all physicians and nonphysician providers in the organization through newsletters and meetings. Data is also broken down by departments and shared.
