Last year, we posted a blog to discuss how the right EHR software can and should reduce physician and staff burnout. The world has changed a lot since then, needless to say. However, burnout among healthcare providers is still a very serious issue. According to a 2020 Medscape report on Physician Suicide & Burnout, 42 percent of responding physicians reported feelings of burnout. While this is a 4 percent overall drop from five years ago, it is still a fairly high amount. Of the physicians who participated, the highest levels of burnout were seen among specialty providers.

If the first few months of 2020 taught healthcare professionals anything, it’s that they were not nearly as well prepared to handle unexpected crises as they probably thought they were. With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, a serious economic crisis, a global increase in civil unrest, extreme weather from climate change, murder hornets in the U.S. and now cannibal rats devouring each other in large cities (because that might as well happen too, right?), it seems unexpected risks are coming from new directions almost daily.

Across the country, state lockdowns are beginning to be lifted and restrictions eased. Additionally, temporary holds on elective and non-emergent surgeries and procedures are expiring and many specialty practices are either reopening or planning to reopen soon. While everyone is eager to return to work in this new normal, it is important to recognize the fact that this initial reopening of the country may be short-lived. In fact, many experts are already warning that a second wave of COVID-19 will hit in the fall of 2020. Without a vaccine, there is a high likelihood that this will result in another period of lockdowns and restrictions.

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “Nothing endures but change. All entities move and nothing remains still.” His words are as true today as they were over 2,400 years ago. Change is an inescapable part of our existence, and it is something we must learn to manage if we wish to survive. In the current situation, this is especially true for those in healthcare who have had to react and adapt to a barrage of frequent and sometimes extreme changes in recent months with the spread of COVID-19. For some specialty providers, these changes have been devastating and even put the future of their practices in jeopardy. For other providers, this has been a situation in which they have not only survived but thrived. It all comes down to how well (or not well) these providers have adapted to these changes.

The COVID-19 pandemic, it is pretty safe to say, has most of us feeling a little on edge right now. Those in the healthcare industry are being taxed especially hard, from trying to adjust to increased telehealth visits to caring for emergency patients. However, it is important to take the time to understand the need for self-care by learning to understand stress and anxiety as well as how to properly manage it and cope effectively. To assist our readers in finding healthy ways to process their feelings during the COVID-19 crisis, this blog will offer tips on dealing with stress and anxiety.

Bringing a new physician into your practice often starts long before his or her first day at work. First you had to actively recruit for the position. After compiling the initial pool of candidates, you then had to take time to conduct interviews and attend meetups before making the final selection. Then came salary negotiations, the final employment agreement and believe it or not, that was just the beginning. The onboarding of a new physician is often a multi-week process that includes verification of credentials, acquisition of ID numbers for items such as his or her medical license, DEA license, NPI, Medicare, etc. Then comes the process of applying for and obtaining necessary privileges and credentials for the practice’s accepted insurance plans as well as any relevant hospitals or ambulatory service centers.

Although all physicians suffer from burnout to some degree, some feel it more keenly than others. According to a recent survey in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, orthopedic surgeons have one of the highest burnout rates, with nearly half the specialty expressing feelings of emotional frustration, depression and depletion.

As specialty practices become increasingly reliant on information technology, effective “onboarding”—systems training for new hires—is essential to productivity. Unless a new hire has used exactly the same set-up previously, there is an important learning process for each system to be used, whether electronic medical record (EMR), practice management, revenue management or patient engagement. Think about how much everyone in the practice had to learn at initial implementation; each new hire must go through that same process—without the benefit of group learning. Here are six best practices that will improve both the speed and effectiveness of onboarding: Assess the new hire’s computer skills during the hiring process. Don’t assume that everyone needs training only in specific systems. If a new hire worked previously at a primarily paper-based practice, determine whether you need to line up supplemental computer training or have other additional resources available as the start date approaches. Prepare for training in advance of the new hire’s arrival. To ensure that all helpful materials are available from day one, assemble vendor training materials and identify vendor resources appropriate for the new hire’s job function ahead of time. Practices should look for a vendor that provides unique training for each specific job function, ensuring new employees are able to leverage the system in a way that meets their unique workflow needs. Encourage peer-to-peer training. Nobody wants to begin work by pouring through training materials. One-on-one, real-time training from proficient users who perform the same function invites question-and-answer skill building and quicker mastery of specialty and practice specifics. Focus strictly on the new hire’s function. Very few people within any specialty practice need to use every feature of an EMR, for example. Plan onboarding around what the new hire must master to succeed in the assigned role. Set realistic expectations and communicate them clearly. As was the case with initial system implementations, not everyone learns at the same rate. Give a clear indication of the time expected for learning, and invite the new hire to ask for help when specific areas prove challenging.