More FQHC Docs Report Physician Burnout Than Independent Docs

Physicians who are women, under the age of 65, and/or employed at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) report the highest levels of physician burnout, according to a new survey from athenahealth that raises concern for clinical and administrative burden.

Fielded during the third wave of COVID-19 (October through December 2020), the survey collected insight from 799 physicians on workforce resources and burnout.

According to the results, 61 percent of physicians said that their practices had not taken any concrete steps in the last year to mitigate clinician burnout.

Women physicians reported worse burnout; 26 percent of men reported feeling burned out once a week, while 32 percent of women said the same. The survey also found that women spend more time working at home outside of normal hours, with 19 percent of their work time taking place at home compared to 14 percent for men.

Younger physicians experienced worse burnout than their older counterparts. Over half of physicians 65 years old and older (52 percent) reported “never” feeling burned out or feeling burned out “a few times a year or less.” However, just 37 percent of physicians under 65 reported the same.

The survey also revealed that physicians who work at FQHCs reported higher rates of burnout than those at independent practices (55 percent versus 44 percent, respectively). In addition, 60 percent of physicians at independent practices reported manageable workloads compared to 42 percent of FQHC physicians.

Administrative tasks may contribute significantly to workforce burnout. Only about a third (29 percent) of physicians reported that their organization is set up well to minimize administrative tasks. Physicians reported working an average of 8 extra hours every week at home, likely catching up on administrative work.

On average, physicians reported working 13.5 hours a week on tasks other than direct patient care. This extra time completing administrative tasks may contribute to the fact that nearly half (47 percent) of physicians reported feeling rushed and unable to spend enough time with each patient at least once a week.

Physicians who spent five or more hours working after-hours were nearly twice as likely to report feeling rushed with patients more than once per week compared to those who reported working two extra hours or less per week (25 percent versus 43 percent).

For patient care to remain paramount, care organizations should mitigate some of the administrative burden that is leading to clinician burnout, Jessica Sweeney-Platt, vice president of research and editorial strategy at athenahealth, said in a press release.

“Burnout continues to affect a troublingly large swath of the physician population,” Sweeney-Platt noted. “The burden appears to be greater for female physicians, and for physicians who treat underserved populations. Healthcare leaders should be concerned about this ongoing issue at an individual level—for the wellbeing of their colleagues—as well as at a systemic level.”

The survey found that physicians experiencing burnout were more likely than their peers to cut back work hours or leave their current place of employment, the survey found; physicians who felt burned out every day were half as likely to believe they would still be with their current organization in three years compared to those who never felt burned out.

“The past year has reinforced how critical these front-line physicians are to the health of their communities, and therefore we must create an environment that allows these caregivers to remain and thrive in the profession,” Sweeney-Platt continued.