For some physician leaders, the burden of administrative duties has compromised their ability to spend valuable time providing patient care, and recent research has suggested that industry changes in the last few years may have increased the burden.

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 By: Rebecca Kapphahn
 

 
 For some physician leaders, the burden of administrative duties has
 compromised their ability to spend valuable time providing patient care, and
 recent research has suggested that industry changes in the last few years
 may have increased the burden. In fact, a
 <a
 href="https://www.medicaleconomics.com/business/whats-ruining-medicine-physicians-paperwork-and-administrative-burdens"
 >recent report</a
 >
 found 79% of physicians named paperwork and administrative burdens the top
 challenge they experience in practice, and <a
 href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/survey-us-physicians-overwhelmingly-satisfied-career-choice"
 >more than half</a
 > say they have less time with patients now than they had previously.
 

 
 In addition, administrative duties are contributing to the pervasive issue
 of physician leader burnout and stress. According to a American Medical
 Association
 <a
 href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/survey-us-physicians-overwhelmingly-satisfied-career-choice"
 >survey</a
 >, administrative burden, lack of time and long hours are principal
 contributors to physician stress and exhaustion.
 

 
 However, in my experience working with medical group practices across the
 nation, bringing in a physician leader or clinician to the administrative
 role brings valuable perspective to identifying and implementing best
 practices that diminish the administrative burden often experienced. Using
 practice-based expertise to influence the operations and strategy of the
 practice, accomplished physician leaders are successful in collaborating and
 gaining buy-in from front line providers and staff to address the
 administrative challenges many face today.
 

 
 In many of the medical group practices I work with, physician and clinical
 leaders are considering or have implemented key strategies to improve the
 burden of administration. A few of these include:
 

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 1. Conducting an Audit.

 
 Many medical groups will begin by conducting an audit of practice
 operations to identify and remove poorly designed, unnecessary or
 burdensome work. Leaders often leverage relevant platforms, such as an
 intranet page, internal newsletters or in department meetings, to
 socialize these initiatives and solicit feedback from clinicians and
 physicians on daily documentation and administrative tasks that may be
 candidates for revamping.
 
 2. Adding Shift Flexibility.

 
 Often, better work/life balance can be achieved through more flexible
 scheduling, such as four-day work weeks or working slightly longer days
 and getting an extra day off every other week or setting one specific day
 of the week aside for administrative activity. Some group leaders are
 finding that taking fewer shifts while maintaining an equivalent clinical
 load on those days allows them to stay connected to patient care while
 diminishing shift responsibilities.
 
 3. Increasing Non-Physician Clinical Staff.

 
 One of the most frustrating aspects of administration cited is maintaining
 compliance with electronic medical records. In fact, 39% of physicians
 revealed that electronic medical records are the most dissatisfying
 aspects of practicing medicine. Therefore, many groups are offering
 medical scribes or other staff to relieve physician leaders from some of
 these responsibilities and help support the practice. Medical practices
 are also engaging nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants in
 expanded roles of the care team. This team-based model frees the physician
 group leader to practice more efficiently, and therefore allotting more
 time on administrative and strategic responsibilities.
 
 4. Leveraging Technology.

 
 Emerging technologies are helping to decrease paperwork and administrative
 burdens for many leaders, including telemedicine and home health devices
 that allow them to engage patients with mutual convenience such as, online
 patient scheduling and mobile electronic medical records. Other savvy
 physician leaders are also leveraging the power of artificial intelligence
 (AI) to reduce inefficient and expensive administrative work. Operating on
 Amazon or Google cloud platforms allows AI to automate billing and claims
 processing, patient support functions, and eliminate redundant processes.
 

 
 Other solutions many medical groups are turning to include hybrid medical
 scribes or virtual assistants, using voice recognition and AI systems.
 These automated virtual scribes harness technology to reduce or even
 eliminate documentation burdens. For example, AI can read the transcript
 of an entire visit and then move details around, edit paragraphs and
 delete what&rsquo;s irrelevant to deliver a concise, accurate note.
 

 <h2>Solving the Challenge.</h2>

 
 The good news is several ongoing efforts by medical professional societies
 are helping to address the issue of administrative burden and raising
 awareness of the issue. And, we&rsquo;re starting to see some progress in
 decreasing the volume and changing the nature of the administrative tasks
 required for patient care delivery. While there are varying tactics to
 optimize time without sacrificing quality of care and service, the
 continued evaluation, assessment, and discussion is critical to support
 clinical leaders. Their voice and unique perspective will continue to be
 invaluable with identifying opportunities to improve patient access and
 coordination of care while fostering a work-life balance and culture that
 supports the reason healthcare providers first entered the field &ndash;
 to care for others.
 

 
 For more advice from Rebecca Kapphahn, a thought leader on best practices
 in healthcare executive search, follow her on
 <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccakapphahn/">LinkedIn</a>.
 
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In Administrative Overload? Five Strategies to Help Lessen the Load