Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Political leaders are oblivious to the true causes of physician burnout

Arvind Cavale, MD
Physician
March 24, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

There has been a nauseating amount of discussion about physician burnout lately. An equal number of remedies, from mindfulness to exercise, to inpatient psychiatric treatment for doctors experiencing unmanageable stress and burnout. And then I read this report of a survey from the world-famous Cleveland Clinic, which describes 35 percent of nearly 1100 physicians employed the Cleveland Clinic have signs of overt burnout. More importantly, those physicians who cared more about their patients seemed to have higher rates of burnout! Similarly, burnout was greater among full time employed physicians. Of course, a so-called expert suggests that the solution should be to make these really good doctors do less doctoring and involve less-skilled and less-educated people take over those duties. But nobody bothered to ask these physicians why they felt down and out.

To add salt to the wound, today brings us this news that the Cleveland Clinic reported a significant increase in operating income for 2017. It is good news that their income is up. However, as the Politico pointed out, the immediate neighborhood remains mired in poverty and poor health, while The Clinic continues its prosperous ways. Despite being a “non-profit,” it has had no positive economic or health impact on its own neighborhood.

Which brings us back to the question of physician burnout. It is now known that less than half of American physicians are independent, which means a majority are hospital-employed. This, as we know, is a risk factor for physician burnout. In addition, it is more likely that these hospital-employed docs are mandated to participate in MOC as compared those in independent practice, and as Dr. Paul Mathew points out, MOC is a major factor in physician burnout.

So let’s put all these observations together: The most dedicated, hospital-employed physicians, who care most about their patients end up suffering the worst burnout. Similarly, those communities that surround the biggest health systems seem to have the worst economic and health outcomes. Meanwhile, the same hospital systems continue to enjoy their non-profit status and leading politicians from both major parties keep referencing them as examples to emulate elsewhere.

Patients and doctors are suffering, costs continue to rise, and “non-profits” are conglomerating and pulling in increasing incomes. Yet our political leaders are oblivious to these facts on the ground. The solution to all three major problems (patient care, physician health, health care costs) is obvious. Is anybody watching, listening, or understanding?

Arvind Cavale is an endocrinologist who blogs at Rebel.MD. He can be reached on Twitter @endodocPA.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

MKSAP: 62-year-old woman with a left adrenal mass

March 24, 2018 Kevin 0
…
Next

Palliative care is a right of all people in pain

March 24, 2018 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Practice Management, Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
MKSAP: 62-year-old woman with a left adrenal mass
Next Post >
Palliative care is a right of all people in pain

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Arvind Cavale, MD

  • Improve Medicaid with these simple steps

    Arvind Cavale, MD
  • Caring and dedicated physicians are being driven out of medicine

    Arvind Cavale, MD
  • Physicians and patients must retake control of how health care is delivered

    Arvind Cavale, MD

Related Posts

  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • When physician leaders get acquired and squeezed

    Anonymous
  • Physician burnout is as much a legal problem as it is a medical one

    Sharona Hoffman, JD
  • Despite physician burnout, medical schools are still hard to get into. Why is that?

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • How a physician keynote can highlight your conference

    Kevin Pho, MD

More in Physician

  • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

    Curtis G. Graham, MD
  • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

    Kayvan Haddadan, MD
  • Why more doctors are leaving clinical practice and how it helps health care

    Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
  • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • Why starting with why can transform your medical practice

    Neil Baum, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 4 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Political leaders are oblivious to the true causes of physician burnout
4 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...