The healthcare network is the only Florida-based system to be recognized and one of only 44 nationwide
Orlando – Orlando Health is the recipient of the American Medical Association’s (AMA) prestigious 2021 Joy in MedicineTM Health System Recognition Program. The healthcare network is the only Florida-based system to earn the honors and one of only 44 systems nationwide to be recognized. The AMA distinction recognizes health systems that demonstrate a commitment to preserving the well-being of caregivers by engaging in proven efforts to combat work-related stress and burnout.
“Our focus on clinical wellness stems from observations garnered in attempts to counsel and guide members of our medical staff who may be challenged by the modern environment of medical care,” said Sunil Desai, MD, president, Orlando Health Medical Group. “We view clinical wellness as a fundamental aspect of a vibrant healthcare environment that is required in order to provide top-quality patient care.”
“Patients and families rely on our clinicians to provide them with a very broad spectrum of healthcare services, from primary care to the lifesaving care provided at Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center’s Level One Trauma Center,” said Aurelio Duran, MD, physician co-director, Orlando Health Medical Group Wellness & Resilience program. “Our wellness initiatives are strongly focused on awareness and program implementation across the entire organization.”
“Our model has been to develop a positive and responsive set of programs that support, educate and respond to the unique needs of our clinical community,” added Mary Senne, PhD, administrative co-director, Orlando Health Medical Group Wellness & Resilience program. “The COVID-19 pandemic only underscored our concerns toward physician wellness and the importance of having organized strategies to address factors negatively impacting their welfare.”
A national study examining the experiences of physicians and other healthcare workers who worked in healthcare systems during the COVID-19 pandemic found that 38 percent self-reported experiencing anxiety or depression, while 43 percent suffered from work overload and 49 percent had burnout.
Orlando Health, and other candidates for the Joy in Medicine recognition, were evaluated according to their documented efforts to reduce work-related burnout through system level drivers. Scoring criteria was based on demonstrated competencies in commitment, assessment, leadership, efficiency of practice environment, teamwork and support.
Examples of Orlando Health’s Wellness & Resilience program include compassion rounds, where team members are given the space to share, listen and obtain tools to better cope with challenges; a provider engagement survey that is used by physician, nursing and administrative leadership to understand how to better engage and improve the day-to-day practices of physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs); an advanced leader program designed for mid-level leaders and providers who aspire to advance to top-level leadership positions within the organization; an initiative to ensure physicians have a work-life balance that allows for practice efficiency as well as personal down time; an educational platform that provides training for best-in-class customer services skills and one-on-one meetings where providers can discuss professional and personal goals.
Launched in 2019, the Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program is a component of the AMA’s practice transformation efforts, an ambitious initiative to advance evidence-based solutions that fill the knowledge gap in effective solutions to physician burnout.
Orlando Health, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $7.6 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States.
Founded more than 100 years ago, the healthcare system is recognized around the world for its pediatric and adult Level One Trauma program as well as the only state-accredited Level Two Adult Trauma Center in the St. Petersburg region. It is the home of the nation’s largest neonatal intensive care unit under one roof, the only system in the southeast to offer open fetal surgery to repair the most severe forms of spina bifida, the site of an Olympic athlete training facility and operator of one of the largest and highest performing clinically integrated networks in the region. Orlando Health is a statutory teaching system that pioneers life-changing medical research. The 3,200-bed system includes 15 wholly-owned hospitals and emergency departments; rehabilitation services, cancer and heart institutes, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, physician offices for adults and pediatrics, skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with CareSpot Urgent Care. Nearly 4,200 physicians, representing more than 80 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs nearly 22,000 team members. In FY20, Orlando Health served nearly 150,000 inpatients and nearly 3.1 million outpatients. During that same time period, Orlando Health provided approximately $760 million in total value to the communities it serves in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more. Additional information can be found at http://www.orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @orlandohealth.
