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

Returning the joy of medicine to our primary care physicians 

Christopher Crow, MD, MBA
Physician
January 10, 2023
Share
Tweet
Share

Nearly 50 years have passed since the first published mention of physician burnout. Clinical psychologist Herbert Freudenberger described the “excessive demands on energy, strength or resources” and wrote of how it resulted in “fatigue, frustration, cynicism.” And though initiatives, programs, and solutions to address burnout have grown, the concerns first cited in 1974 have grown as well—now reaching the undeniable crisis.

In a recent survey, 61 percent of physicians reported feeling burned out in 2021. That represents more than a 50 percent jump compared to three years prior. No doubt, COVID-19 amplified this issue, with physicians today feeling more overwhelmed, overburdened, and under-supported than ever. Staff shortages, rising costs, shrinking margins, and greater technological and operational complexity… all of that contributes to the pressures that primary care physicians (PCPs) face.

A burned-out, unhappy workforce impacts the physicians themselves and shrinks access to care, with high turnover rates resulting in higher health care costs across the board. Nearly $1 billion of excess health care expenditures for public and private payers annually can be attributed to PCP turnover, with more than a quarter of that specifically connected to burnout.

Perhaps surprisingly, many physicians remain hopeful—and that represents an opportunity for transformation and turnaround. Amid the host of challenges that physicians face, 46 percent of them would still recommend entering the medical field to younger generations. PCPs haven’t lost the desire to care for their patients or to make a difference in their lives; they’ve just grown fed up with a system that impairs their ability to do so.

Fifty years is far too long to wait for a real solution to a crisis that should never have existed to begin with. Our physicians deserve personal and professional fulfillment and a system that fosters their ability to help patients live healthier lives. It’s time to empower physicians to realize the true impact and promise they could have in their communities.

Realizing a new reality for PCPs requires a new system

To address these problems, we must reimagine the primary care model and move away from the traditional, reactive, volume-based approach. We must move to a model that focuses and incentivizes meaningful, relational care experiences.

A critical part of this new model is to adopt a team-based approach to care that has been proven to reduce clinician burnout effectively and lead to improved patient outcomes. With the support of an extended care team—and with the right data and technologies to automate, prioritize and inform interactions—PCPs gain the expanded bandwidth and freedom they need to put more focus toward providing personal, expert care to every patient.

Another essential part of this model is incentivizing quality rather than just quantity. Transitioning from the current fee-for-service system (FFS) to a model that includes value-based and prospective payment structures will enable PCPs to deliver longitudinal, proactive care that improves clinical and financial outcomes for all. The FFS model has hindered this kind of meaningful care. Or, to put it more bluntly, very little joy (or quality) can be produced in volume-based anything.

PCPs remain critical in helping communities thrive, but we can’t accomplish true change without a drastic shift in our health care landscape. By putting into place solutions and infrastructure that support physicians and patients by prioritizing relationships and outcomes, we will see a transformative impact on our physician workforce—leading to increased quality of care, improved patient outcomes, and reduced costs.

Christopher Crow is a physician executive.

Prev

What being a hospice volunteer taught me about health care [PODCAST]

January 9, 2023 Kevin 0
…
Next

Why I keep coming back to the ER: reflections from a seasoned attending

January 10, 2023 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
What being a hospice volunteer taught me about health care [PODCAST]
Next Post >
Why I keep coming back to the ER: reflections from a seasoned attending

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • The solution to a crumbling primary care foundation is direct primary care

    Sara Pastoor, MD
  • Primary Care First: CMS develops a value-based primary care program for independent practices

    Robert Colton, MD
  • The demise of primary care in America

    Gregg Coodley, MD
  • The many benefits of strengthening the primary care workforce

    Nicole Liner-Jigamian, MSW
  • Primary care faces a very difficult winter

    Ken Terry
  • The biggest health care fix: a relentless focus on primary care

    Suneel Dhand, MD

More in Physician

  • Removing vaccine advisers could jeopardize lives

    J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD
  • Why would any physician believe that the practice of medicine will become less abusive for them in the future?

    Curtis G. Graham, MD
  • The hidden war on doctors: Understanding administrative violence

    Maryna Mammoliti, MD
  • How doctors can stop frivolous lawsuits before they start

    Howard Smith, MD
  • How the 10th Apple Effect is stealing your joy in medicine

    Neil Baum, MD
  • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

    Ryan McCarthy, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How medical culture hides burnout in plain sight

      Marco Benítez | Conditions
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
    • How the 10th Apple Effect is stealing your joy in medicine

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • What led me from nurse practitioner to medical school

      Sarah White, APRN | Education
    • Why local cardiac CT scans could save your life

      Benjamin Cohen, MD | Conditions
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • How proposed NIH budget cuts could derail Alzheimer’s research

      Tamer Hage, Tejas Sekhar, and Swapna Vaja | Conditions

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

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How medical culture hides burnout in plain sight

      Marco Benítez | Conditions
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
    • How the 10th Apple Effect is stealing your joy in medicine

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • What led me from nurse practitioner to medical school

      Sarah White, APRN | Education
    • Why local cardiac CT scans could save your life

      Benjamin Cohen, MD | Conditions
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • How proposed NIH budget cuts could derail Alzheimer’s research

      Tamer Hage, Tejas Sekhar, and Swapna Vaja | Conditions

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

Returning the joy of medicine to our primary care physicians 
4 comments

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

Loading Comments...