EHR Use and Administrative Burden Accelerate Burnout

In response to a new study about high levels of physician burnout among family physicians, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center family physician Donald O. Mack, MD, suggested the recent transition to a value-based care system and increased EHR use may have augmented the problem.

“Burnout is associated with lower patient satisfaction and care quality, higher medical error rates and malpractice risk, higher physician and staff turnover, physician substance abuse/addiction, and physician suicide,” he wrote.

“The causes are numerous, and in many cases physicians point to the increasing demands of electronic medical records, quality metrics, administrative tasks such as prior authorization, and value-based payment requirements, which take time away from direct clinical care,” Mack continued.

Mack’s commentary came in response to a recent study by Hansen et al. that showed levels of physician burnout vary significantly between states, with Michigan and Minnesota physicians reporting the highest rates of exhaustion.

In 2016, researchers surveyed 2,069 young physicians three years out of residency training. Respondents provided information about their levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization…

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View all Articles by: Melissa Clark, CCS-P