Virtua Health has recently earned recognition from the American Medical Association for addressing physician burnout, the health system announced Wednesday.
They were one of four health systems in New Jersey to receive the Joy in Medicine recognition. The award recognizes health systems, hospitals, and medical groups that use proven methods to reduce burnout and enhance doctors’ professional fulfillment in providing patient care.
Burnout among U.S. physicians peaked at 62.8% in 2021 during the Covid pandemic, research shows. But thanks to strides in addressing burnout at the system level, the national physician burnout rate ebbed to 45.2% in 2023.
Despite improvements, physician burnout levels remain much higher than those of other U.S. workers. Continued efforts are essential to ensure doctors receive the support they need to thrive and achieve national health goals.
Virtua VP Jennifer Khelil explained the importance of caring for physicians
“As a health system dedicated to creating outstanding experiences for everybody, always, it is especially gratifying to be recognized for caring for our frontline physician workforce,” she said. “Our 3,000 clinicians routinely go above and beyond for our patients, and it is only fitting that we do all we can to ensure their well-being.”
Organizations that meet the rigorous criteria of the Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program are leaders in the national effort to transform healthcare work systems and address the root causes of burnout among care teams, the AMA stated.
Physician burnout is a long‑term stress reaction that can harm the well-being of doctors and, consequently, have a negative impact on the delivery of patient care. The condition affects all specialties and all practice settings, according to the AMA.
Virtua uses a range of initiatives to help prevent and reduce physician burnout. One program, for example, decreased doctors’ time spent on electronic health records outside of their designated work hours by offering technology solutions to streamline time-consuming tasks. As a result, Virtua saw a 16.9% reduction in its physicians’ “work outside of work hours” from the end of 2023 to the end of 2024.
