Transforming a physician practice or health care organization may sound like a grand goal, but all progress—no matter how significant or minor—begins with action. And with an alarming number of physicians experiencing symptoms of burnout, leaving their jobs or cutting back hours, the rewards of improving well-being are worth the undertaking. 

With that in mind, the AMA offers steps that health care leaders and organizations can take to begin the process of transformation, with extra emphasis placed on how, exactly, those lofty goals may be achieved.

“When leading health care transformation, implementation and sustainment of new systems and workflows is the greatest challenge,” Jane F. Fogg, MD, MPH, physician director of organizational transformation for the AMA, said in an interview. “We have a wealth of great ideas on how we can change the delivery model to support patient outcomes, high quality care, and care team and professional wellness. The hard part is executing.”

With physician burnout a continued epidemic in the U.S., that execution is more important than ever. 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™.

Dr. Fogg presented several practice-transformation ideas during a two-day AMA training event to help physicians eliminate unnecessary work and free up more time to focus on what matters most—patient care. 

For additional ideas and tools for practice innovation, check out the AMA’s “Saving Time: Practice Innovation Boot Camp,” March 31–April 1 at the Association’s Chicago headquarters. The conference will cover topics including debunking regulatory myths, de-implementing unnecessary work, implementing practice fundamentals for team care, optimizing the EHR for practice and more. Learn more and register now.

Here are just some of the strategies available for leaders and organizations looking to improve the lives of physicians—benefitting patients, health systems and even the bottom line along the way.

AMA STEPS Forward open-access toolkits and playbooks offer innovative strategies that allow physicians and their staff to thrive in the new health care environment. These resources can help you prevent burnout, create the organizational foundation for joy in medicine and improve practice efficiency.