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Monday Rx | May 6, 2019 | Does Technology Have an Impact on Physician Burnout?

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Technology and Physician Burnout

How should doctors spend their time? Ideally, talking with patients about their pain and progress, examining their illnesses and injuries, and planning their treatment. But, that's a shrinking part of clinicians' days. Luckily, it's a reversible trend. A study by the University of Wisconsin last year determined that primary care physicians spend more than half of their working hours on administration such as updating health records, ordering tests and inputting billing codes. Ironically, technology has become the problem — or, rather, poorly designed technology.

Take the electronic medical records systems that health care facilities and health systems have rushed to install in the last decade. In theory, they should make clinicians' lives easier and patient care smoother, but in practice, they force doctors to spend mind-numbing hours each day navigating a maze of screen menus, tabs, forms, and buttons. Logging even routine procedures can take a dozen clicks. Such is the burden that "pajama time" has become an industry euphemism for the after-hours admin that's now a routine part of clinicians' home lives.

This contributes to extremely high rates of workplace stress among medical personnel – nearly two-thirds of doctors in the U.S. report feeling burned out or depressed. Long-term care facilities have particularly acute problems, with a 70% turnover among nurses each year. To halt the trend of doctors spending a lot of time entering data, health care organizations need to adopt a multi-faceted approach to tech that tackles both the immediate symptoms and the underlying causes:

  • Let them talk rather than type
  • Use AI to simplify routine tasks
  • Get clinicians engaged with tech communities


If we want to save our doctors from being consumed by data entry, we need this to become the healthcare industry standard.
 
LACMA Marketplace Beta Testing
As members know, LACMA has been developing a marketplacein partnership with Sterling Healthcare Logistics to bring our members a user-friendly portal to purchase major products and services to help practices thrive.

Our goal is to help practices lower expenses through the cooperative power of a medical purchasing group. The buying group has negotiated outstanding pricing with major product and service providers to reduce expenses and increase office efficiency.

The result is tremendous volume discounts because of negotiated pricing based on the collective size of the group. Practices utilizing these resources can save between 10% and 40% on their highest cost line items. Remember, we are in beta testing mode and still getting the kinks out but you should see:
 
  • Substantial savings on vaccine costs
  • Savings on medical supplies – even if you are already on a national contract
  • Savings on the costs of processing credit and debit cards
  • Savings on medical liability protection
  • The more vendors you choose the more money you save
  • Increase your annual loyalty payments by choosing more vendors

Mental Health Awareness Month and Skid Row Housing Trust

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and we support Skid Row Housing Trust which provides permanent supportive housing so that people who have experienced homelessness, prolonged extreme poverty, poor health, disabilities, mental illness and/or addiction can lead safe, stable lives in wellness.

Skid Row Housing Trustis committed to preventing and ending homelessness in greater Los Angeles. You will learn more about our partnership in early summer!
 


Bike Ride Partnership

Thanks to our partnership with UCLAHealth, we have gotten to know Dr. Michael Cahn, who leads a group committed to creating a more active California and developing a regional bicycle and pedestrian plan that includes hospitals and health systems.

We have begun conversations around a bike ride named after Dr. Mitchell Katz, former head of Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Agency, who now leads NYC Health and Hospitals.

Join them and over 2,000 other riders for their 19th Annual River Ride on June 9th. You can learn more about the day here.

Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association "If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me."
 


EVENTS AND COMMUNITY


Los Angeles County Medical Association's Annual Installation of Officers

You are Invited!

 
Join us in celebrating Dr. Sion Roy, a Harbor-UCLA Medical Center cardiologist, who will become LACMA's youngest president in the organization

WHEN: June 21, 2019 WHERE: Riviera Country Club 1250 Capri Drive Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

RSVP


Don't Miss Out: Ovarian Cancer Summit

Join the experts at City of Hope for a discussion that will offer unique perspectives on emerging topics in molecular testing in ovarian cancer, surgical options in new diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer and more!
 
WHEN: Wednesday, May 15, 2019, 5p to 9p WHERE:  The Langham 1401 South Oak Knoll Ave. Pasadena, CA 91106

Register Now!


Skid Row Housing Trust Summer Dinner Series



Join the Skid Row Housing Trust for this fundraising event focused on raising valuable general operating support for the Trust.
WHEN: Thursday, May 16th, 2019 WHERE: The Star Apartments Community Room 240 E. 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014Learn more!
 
LACMA/athenahealth Dinner


athenahealth partnered with the Los Angeles County Medical Association to host a dinner where attendees will view a presentation that will focus on thriving independently, patient engagement, and maximizing self-pay collections.

 
WHEN: Thursday, May 23rd, 2019 WHERE: Brio Coastal Bar and Kitchen 21532 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503