06/06/2019

The $4.6 Billion Price Tag of Physician Burnout

OSMA Provides Tools to Address the Burnout Issue

"Everybody who goes into medicine knows that it's a stressful career and that it's a lot of hard work," said Lotte Dyrbye, a physician and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who co-authored a study which was recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

To put a price on burnout, the study authors culled data from recent research findings and reports — including direct or inferred findings on doctors cutting back on hours or quitting as a result of burnout. They ran a mathematical model to estimate the costs associated with burnout, focusing on the costs of replacing physicians and lost income from unfilled positions.  The model provided a conservative cost estimate burnout of $7,600 per physician per year.

The OSMA continues to address the issue of physician burnout through the work of its Physician Well-Being Committee. Most recently, the committee planned and executed a physician well-being track at the organization’s annual education symposium. The success of this initiative was recognized by the Physicians Foundation.  The Foundation awarded the OSMA a grant which will fund physician well-being sessions throughout the state of Ohio.

In addition, all physicians in Ohio can access OSMA’s physician well-being website 24/7 at OSMAwellbeing.org. Make sure to bookmark the page as new resources are tools are continuously being updated to the site.