Practice Transformation: Measure

More than half of U.S. physicians have experienced burnout, and burnout remains one of the key issues facing health care systems today. This is largely due to practice inefficiencies (e.g., systemic issues, administrative burdens, workplace chaos, and reporting requirements) and organizational culture (e.g., lack of connectedness, reduced control, diminished meaning in work, lack of trust).

Reducing burnout can have a positive impact on your organization’s professional satisfaction, financial well-being, and workflow efficiency and is essential to high-quality patient care.

Organizational Well-Being Journey

From professional burnout assessments to targeted intervention strategies, the AMA is pleased to support health care systems across the country with guided and validated solutions.

Learn More (PDF)

The AMA Organizational Biopsy® (PDF) is an assessment tool and set of services to support health systems in holistically measuring and taking action to improve the health of their organization. The Organizational Biopsy provides a comprehensive assessment across four domains:

• Organizational Culture (leadership, teamwork, trust, etc.)
• Practice Efficiency (team structure, team stability, workflows, etc.)
• Self-Care (post-traumatic stress, post-traumatic growth, work-life balance, etc.)
• Retention (work intentions)

Following an assessment, organizations receive an executive summary of key findings and access to the Organizational Biopsy data through an online reporting platform. This platform also includes national comparison data. AMA experts can also provide ongoing guidance and communication on interventions, research and convening opportunities in support of ongoing improvement efforts.

Why Measure?

A well-being strategy that includes conducting an annual burnout assessment is critical to understanding and addressing your organization’s health. By measuring operational effectiveness and the well-being of your physicians and care team members, you can readily identify and target meaningful interventions. An annual assessment will help you to:

1. Identify and assess underlying drivers of burnout within your organization.
2. Reduce drivers of stress within your organization.
3. Understand your organization’s unique needs to support professional well-being.
4. Proactively initiate institutional support to help individuals thrive before, during, and after a crisis.

Criteria

The Organizational Biopsy is currently available to health systems with at least 50 physicians and/or advanced practice providers. Organizations intending to conduct an assessment must complete an agreement and set up an informational meeting with the AMA Practice Transformation team to plan and prepare for the assessment process.

The Assessment Process

The AMA Practice Transformation team provides hands-on support to design, build, and deploy your assessment. The AMA Data Lab provides a one-of-a-kind online dashboard to review results and stratify data, and AMA experts offer a series of strategies and resources for your organization. No matter where you are on your practice transformation journey, our team will be right there with you.

This prestigious AMA recognition is presented to organizations dedicated to preserving the well-being of physicians through proven efforts to reduce system-level drivers of work-related burnout. Since its inception in 2019, the AMA Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program has recognized the achievements of more than 100 organizations nationwide.

Health systems that earn recognition from the program are evaluated based on three levels of achievement in prioritizing and investing in physician well-being. Each level—Bronze, Silver, and Gold—is composed of six demonstrated competencies in commitment, assessment, leadership, efficiency of practice environment, teamwork, and support. The achievement level of each recognized organization is designated based on evidence and supporting documentation.

Learn more about how the Joy in Medicine program empowers health systems to reduce burnout so that physicians—and their patients—can thrive.  

The AMA Health System Program goes even deeper than the Organizational Biopsy, collaborating with leadership to improve physician well-being by providing tailored solutions that maximize support to physicians and care teams.