“We believe that platform improvements are essential, but will be insufficient to address a key cause of physician burnout: our outdated regulatory requirements,” write the authors in their editorial. “Value-based reimbursement programs hold the most promise for controlling spiraling costs, but they must avoid overburdening physicians with administrative responsibilities. Regulatory reform (including changes to billing requirements) allowing clinicians to strip documentation to bare essentials would improve accuracy, enable better use for research and reduce the tedious work that occupies so much of our time.”
Lara C. Pullen, PhD, is a medical writer based in the Chicago area.
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References
- Shanafelt TD, Hasan O, Dyrbye LN, et al. Changes in burnout and satisfaction with work–life balance in physicians and the general U.S. working population between 2011 and 2014. Mayo Clin Proc. 2015 Dec;90(12):1600–1613.
- Downing NL, Bates DW, Longhurst CA. Physician burnout in the electronic health record era: Are we ignoring the real cause? Ann Intern Med. 2018 May 8.
- Sinsky C, Colligan L, Li L, et al. Allocation of physician time in ambulatory practice: A time and motion study in four specialties. Ann Intern Med. 2016 Dec 6;165(11):753–760.
