I always get a kick out of articles that claim they may have the answer to fixing the physician burnout issue. Check out this one in Medical Economics. Physicians Foundation President Gary Price, M.D., PC, and Physicians Foundation board members Joseph Valenti, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist, and Ripley Hollister, M.D., a family medicine specialist, were the ones answering the questions. Here are some highlights:

• “Time spent with patients is the most rewarding aspect of most physician’s careers.”
• “They list time wasted obtaining preapproval for recommended treatments, growing mountains of bureaucratic checklists not pertinent to care, inefficient electronic records systems and an erosion of their ability to direct their patient’s care as the leading causes of frustration and burnout.”
• “Physician burnout is a complex challenge but at its core it is caused by physicians losing clinical autonomy and navigating burdens impeding the physician-patient relationship, such as prior authorizations, electronic health record (EHR) challenges and barriers to addressing patients’ social drivers of health.”
• “Although the number of independent practices has consistently decreased, physician burnout has consistently risen. There is certainly a relationship between autonomy and ownership. The link between loss of autonomy and burnout is also clear.”
• “One of the advantages of independent practice is more control over many practice-related issues. This kind of control can be used in scheduling, human resource issues and technology adaptation, to name just a few.”
• “Restoring a sense of control over one’s work is a key feature of reversing burnout.”

Wow. Look at that list. What do you think fixes all of the above?

DIRECT PRIMARY CARE!!

But it is never mentioned. Instead, they talk about toolkits for well-being, support group, and the AMA’s Practice Transformation Initiative which specializes in putting lipstick on pigs.

This is a call out to the Physicians Foundation. If you want to help fix the burnout issue then work with aspiring DPC doctors and grant them seed money to start their practices. It wouldn’t even be that much. This is the answer. Build the new healthcare system from the ground up with DPC. Then start working to do the same with specialists to open Direct Specialty Care clinics. Work around the gov’t and the insurance companies and not with them.

I await your call or email to me and I will connect your with fledgling practices.