Experts Whitney Marvin, MD, and Jinoos Yazdany, MD, discuss how to find synergy between work & career to better manage work/life conflicts and avoid burnout as rheumatologists.
Ethics Forum: Thoughts on Managing Electronic Communication with Patients
Recent proposals in the U.S. to bill for electronic communication with our patients could be seen as a refreshing but contested attempt to battle burnout rates in the present era. A fee for electronic communications between patients and clinicians also acknowledges the value of the clinician’s time and expertise. But is this ethical? Discussion Burnout…
Tips to Alleviate Rheumatologist Burnout
Because rheumatology is a complex cognitive specialty, rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals often see patients repeatedly for acute and chronic problems. Although that may lead to close relationships with patients, it may also make the specialty more prone to burnout, says Peter Y. Hahn, MD, MBA, CEO of University of Michigan Health-West, Wyoming, Mich. “It can…
Appreciative Rheumatology: Positivity Beyond Serologies
Spam, spam, advertisement, spam … wait wait, what’s this? A small envelope, addressed from Maine. I wonder what this is about? Usually, when I get an envelope this size, it’s a letter from someone trying to sell me something or complain about something I have no control over. So imagine my surprise when I found…
The Secret to Happiness
Are you happy? This may be a question born of the pandemic. Pre-pandemic, I used to quote William Osler, MD, who simultaneously founded the Department of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and created the modern system of medical education. He opined: The practice of medicine will be very much as you make it—to one,…
Advocacy Involvement ‘An Antidote to Burnout,’ Says New Government Affairs Chair Christina Downey, MD
The new chair of the ACR’s Government Affairs Committee, Dr. Downey says physicians play a vital role in helping policymakers understand how policies and laws affect patients and the practice of rheumatology.
Ethics Forum: Billing, Burnout and Protected Non-Clinical Time
It’s 11 a.m. on a Wednesday. You see a new patient in your fellow’s clinic with impressive physical findings, including a prominent skin rash and deforming arthritis. The patient has been to many doctors and is frustrated that her condition remains undiagnosed and untreated. You thoroughly examine the patient, present her case to your attending…
Concierge Care: Basketball, Hotels & the Future of Rheumatology
I wouldn’t normally look to professional basketball as a model for healthcare, but sometimes answers come from unexpected places. The observation that elite athletes are not like you and me—medically speaking—is not new. In the second century AD, the pontifex maximus in Pergamum recognized this fact and appointed Claudius Galen physician to the gladiators, making…
Study: Don’t Automatically Blame Burnout on Electronic Health Records
When it comes to experiencing burnout, time spent in an electronic health records (EHR) system appears to be only a minor contributing factor. Although clinicians and other healthcare professionals may log many hours at the keyboard putting information into the EHR, other factors likely play a bigger role in the workplace exhaustion and feelings of…
Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act Passed by Congress
The ACR-supported Breen Act will provide resources for mental health services and programs for healthcare professionals to reduce burnout and prevent suicide.