CHICAGO -- The American Medical Association is launching an digital initiative aimed at restoring joy to medical practice. Really.
The new venture, called AMA STEPS Forward, is a series of web-based interactive modules intended to allow doctors to "work smarter, not harder," and thus relieve physician burnout.
And here is the surprise: even though the AMA has already spent "well into the eight figures" on all phases of its practice rejuvenation program that includes STEPS Forward, it is offering the web-based program free to any doctor -- or member of the public -- at .
"We want to restore the joy of medicine," said , the AMA's incoming president, at an event announcing the web site. "Physicians feel besieged by the overwhelming regulatory burden, by paper work, by the lack of time to interact with patients." STEPS Forward is conceived as a group of "discrete, concrete, focused tools" that physicians can dip into "in a just-add-water kind of way" to make their practices more efficient, and thus give them more personal satisfaction, he said.
But none of those tools will restore joy to the ICD-10 implementation process, said Stack, who noted that the tools take a global, nonspecific approach to the stressors confronting today's physicians.
STEPS Forward is part of the AMA's three pivotal initiatives: 1) to improve health outcomes for people with pre-diabetes and hypertension, 2) to accelerate change in medical education, and 3) to increase doctors' satisfaction in the practice of medicine. "A healthier, happier nation is going to require a healthier, happier physician workforce," Stack said.
The genesis of the program was an AMA-commissioned RAND Corp. study that identified the rising administrative burden in medical practices as a root cause of physician burnout, which is higher among physicians than the general population. Burnout induces feelings of emotional fatigue, depersonalization, loss of enthusiasm, and can lead to premature retirement.
"We were getting a meta-signal that there were problems in running physician practices," said AMA Executive Vice President and CEO . Through interviews and focus groups the AMA identified "dissatisfiers and satisfiers" in the practice of medicine. There was only one real satisfier, Madara said: "Having enough time one-on-one with patients, and feeling at the end of the day that you had done a good job." Dissatisfiers included the increased busy-ness of the practice, electronic medical records, and administrative overload.
The 16 self-help modules on the website include topics such as systemic prescription renewals, pre-visit planning, implementing electronic medical records, creating a strong team culture, and encouraging medication adherence. The AMA believes physicians who follow its protocols and suggestions on the new website will yield substantial time savings that can be returned to patient care. Physicians may get CME credits for using some of the modules.
Madara estimated that the AMA has invested $10 million to $15 million into the venture, with more to come.
The AMA considers the website "a living product" that will grow through physician engagement. It is encouraging physicians and practice managers to submit ideas, which can then be disseminated further. Partnering with the Medical Group Management Association, it is offering a $10,000 bounty for the best ideas submitted by Sept. 1.