Message from the FMA President
Physicians have the ability to perform under extraordinary pressure. We do so willingly and continuously to help our patients who rely on us during their most vulnerable moments. This is why we became doctors — to serve others through the art and science of medicine. Yet, alarming numbers of physicians are buckling under pressures that have little to do with practicing medicine. Unprecedented bureaucratic tasks and mandates created by non-physicians are harming doctors as professionals and as human beings. The healers are now in crisis.
Fortunately, healthcare decision-makers have begun to realize that when physicians are overworked and suffering, the consequences extend far beyond those individuals. In a memorable joint essay for Health Affairs, 10 prominent healthcare CEOs called upon their colleagues to recognize that depleted physicians represent a public health crisis. “Leaders of healthcare delivery organizations must embrace physician well-being as a critical factor in the long-term clinical and financial success of our organizations,” they wrote. “We must make both the prevention of burnout and the restoration of the joy of a career in medicine core priorities, and address this issue with the same urgent methods we would use to solve any other important business problem.”
The FMA's new Physician Wellness Resource Center is designed to provide you with tools to support your well-being, including in-depth articles and information about our live physician wellness CME course at the 2018 FMA Annual Meeting Aug. 3-5 in Orlando.
The FMA will be rolling out an EHR Resource Center this month. EHRs have been identified as the number-one underlying cause of physician burnout and we are working avidly to address that issue. The FMA also remains steadfast in battling burdensome regulations, processes and directives that feed physician burnout. Most importantly, we are here to help you thrive as you enable your patients to do the same.
Sincerely,
John N. Katopodis, M.D., FACC
FMA President