How Health Systems Are Addressing Physician Burnout

Physician burnout is declining, but it remains a substantial challenge for hospitals and health systems. In the American Medical Association (AMA) 2025 National Physician Comparison Report, 41.9% of physician respondents reported at least one symptom of burnout, down from 43.2% in 2024 and 48.2% in 2023.

The findings draw on nearly 19,000 responses from physicians at 106 participating health systems and organizations. Administrative burdens, staffing shortages and inefficient workflows remain persistent sources of stress.

At an AMA-hosted discussion at the Becker’s Annual Meeting, leaders from Ochsner Health, Northwell Health and Sutter Health described how their organizations measure physician well-being and respond to workplace concerns. Their approaches, along with a Providence training program featured by HealthLeaders Media, offer five examples of how health systems are addressing burnout.

1 | Make physician well-being a core quality measure.

New Orleans-based Ochsner Health has done just that. The health system's board of directors is the first to see physician well-being survey results. It should be a top-quality indicator because of its cascading influence on other factors such as patient experience, care outcomes, safety and retention.

“It's essential to include them because board members need to understand the state of physician well-being to direct organizational resources and priorities,” Nigel Girgrah, M.D., PhD, a transplant hepatologist and chief wellness officer for Ochsner Health, said at the Becker’s event.

Girgrah distinguishes between the effect of the work environment on the individual and engagement, which reflects what a physician wants to contribute to the organization.

2 | Don't try to fix everything at once.

To address issues identified in physician surveys, Ochsner has adopted a "divide and conquer" strategy in which teams focus on one problem at a time. System leaders encourage physician leaders to review results with their teams and aim to solve a single pain point per year with a well-defined plan of action.

"You have to make it simple," Dr. Girgrah said during the AMA-hosted discussion. "Don't boil the ocean. Just work on one thing you saw in the survey."

3 | Turn physician feedback into action.

Physician surveys can identify workplace concerns and track changes in well-being, but their usefulness depends on questions asked. After feedback indicated that its 2023 physician survey could be shorter and better reflect their daily experiences, New Hyde Park, New York-based Northwell Health redesigned the assessment.

The survey combines questions from a national benchmark vendor, Organizational Biopsy, and Northwell-specific questions. Mark Talamini, M.D., senior vice president and executive director for Northwell Health Physician Partners, said the system encouraged participation through newsletter reminders and videos featuring frontline physicians and executives. Following these changes, the response rate increased from 50% to 77%.

Finally, Northwell also communicates how it is responding to physician feedback. Talamini brought together system service line chairs to review the results and identify opportunities for improvement. The system provided service line leaders with resources and a framework for sharing findings and developing action plans.

4 | Reduce survey fatigue.

While surveys are a valuable tool, asking physicians to complete too many can add to the stress and fatigue organizations are trying to reduce. To reduce survey fatigue, Sacramento, California-based Sutter Health incorporated AMA Organizational Biopsy questions into its annual survey, consolidating requests for feedback.

5 | Develop clinician well-being leaders.

Renton, Washington-based Providence reduced its physician burnout rate from 47% to 13% in 15 months with its Clinician Wellness Council program, which trains clinicians to serve as well-being leaders in the workplace. Program participants attend one educational session per month on topics including identifying drivers of burnout and navigating conflict.

Tricia James, M.D., director of clinician experience at Providence Medical Group Oregon, told HealthLeaders that the program effectively reduces emotional exhaustion by fostering a sense of community and teaching physicians to focus on and address burnout-contributing factors that they can control.

The Bottom Line for Hospitals and Health Systems

These examples show how health systems are incorporating physician well-being into board oversight, survey design and workplace improvement efforts. Their approaches emphasize identifying specific sources of stress, communicating survey findings and giving clinicians a role in addressing problems.

For hospital and health system leaders building systemic well-being programs to prevent burnout, the AHA’s Physician Alliance and the Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine have created a five-step blueprint including case examples, lessons learned and resources to support organizational well-being efforts. AHA members can download the blueprint here.