14 ways that Health IT can decrease physician burnout

"Investing in health IT such as EHRs and external apps designed from the point of view of the clinical end user can relieve pressures on doctors and ensure well-designed workflows--which makes doctors’ jobs easier, improves outcomes, and brings joy back to practicing medicine.” -Rodrigo Martinez, MD and chief clinical officer, TransformativeMed

“The only way that health IT can cure burnout is to co-design technology with patients and clinicians at the center. ,,, Restoring the human connection will reconnect clinicians back to the purpose of why they entered healthcare in the first place.” -Bridget Duffy, MD, chief medical officer, Vocera

“Physician burnout is real and doctors are heading for the exits. The only way to combat this phenomenon is to make the practice of medicine more of a team sport and take work off the doctor’s plate." -Richard Parker, MD, chief medical officer, Arcadia.io

“Medical Economics’ Physician Burnout Survey revealed that feelings of burnout made 73% of doctors want to quit practicing medicine. One way to address work-life balance is through technologies that allow doctors to work from home--like lawyers, architects and accountants can--enabling a fuller, less stressful life, while still giving patients the attention they need.” -Clinton Philips, DC, founder and CEO of Medici

“The right technology can help reduce physician burnout by supporting doctors directly in their workflow. These tools can support clinical decision-making to help physicians focus on patient-specific needs and enhance the patient experience, such as identifying opportunities for appropriate preventive care and screenings or generic drug alternatives. -Joe Gifford, MD, senior vice president of provider markets, Lumeris

"While health IT can’t solve every stressor in every healthcare environment, virtual care solutions offer providers a better quality of life--and reconnect them to their original motivations for pursuing medical careers.” -Dean Smith, MD, chief medical information officer, GlobalMed

“Clinical decision support (CDS) tools within existing workflows have the potential to decrease physician burnout by providing clinicians with evidence-based guidelines, making physicians feel more confident they’re delivering optimal care and minimizing the risk of unintended consequences and adverse events."-Howard Willson, MD, MBA, senior vice president of Customer Success, Zynx Health

“By fixing inefficient EHRs and making them more usable for physician end users, we can minimize much of the frustration and stress that fuel physician burnout. We need to include physician end users in the EHR system design and update processes..." -Jay Anders, MD, chief medical officer, Medicomp Systems

“Healthcare delivery has always been a team effort. Before today’s care coordination technology, the team didn’t function until orders flowed from my mouth or pen. Employing this type of technology, combined with protocols and staff training, allows for everyone on the team to contribute...”-Mark Stephan, MD, chief medical officer, Equality Health

“The finding in Medical Economics’ 2019 Physician Burnout Survey ... is deeply concerning. Health IT, specifically predictive analytics, can help address this issue by enabling better patient flow and providing tools to locate staffing and equipment resources more quickly--which decreases overtime due to increased efficiencies." -Neeraj Bhavani, CEO, TAGNOS

“Ensuring that patients get the care they need without delay is an ongoing stressor for physicians that can contribute to burnout. The key is to leverage health IT so that patients get the most appropriate level of care when they need it--not necessarily the 'most' care.”-Angie Franks, CEO, Central Logic

“At a glance, physicians can identify patients that may be experiencing gaps in care or coding, with quality metrics that are specific to each insurer powered by information pulled from throughout the care continuum, allowing physicians to make fully informed decisions, deliver higher quality outcomes, and reduce physician burden.” -Julie Mann, chief commercial officer, Holon Solutions

“There’s a growing chorus that suggests physicians should play a more active role in managing the full breadth of patient needs--medical, behavioral and sociocultural. This could actually become another source of burnout. The good news is that health IT solutions can support a patient’s care team in managing medical, behavioral and sociocultural risk factors.” -Claire Zimmerman, VP Product Innovation & Management, HealthBI