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57 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY How to change the conversation on burnout: 4 questions with Ascension Medical Group CMO Dr. Baligh Yehia By Emily Rappleye B urnout is pervasive among clinicians. It affects 2 in 5 physicians and 3 in 5 nurses, Ascension Medical Group CMO Baligh Yehia, MD, noted in a July 16 LinkedIn post. Burnout directly affects the quality of care patients receive and costs the U.S. more than $4 bil- lion annually. e problem with burnout is it's difficult to recognize and difficult to treat. It certainly takes more than a few yoga classes, Dr. Yehia told Becker's in an interview. However, there are a few simple ways hos- pitals can begin to address the issue at its source. "e most important step is to start the conversation. It's something that doesn't require a lot of resources, but I think it's the first step onto a path to building a robust engagement and wellness program," Dr. Yehia says. Under Dr. Yehia's leadership, Ascension Medical Group has established a national council of clinicians to lead the charge on engagement and well-being, and the group is working to stand up similar committees at the local level. e group has also developed a self-directed survey for physicians to gauge their own level of burnout and a playbook of best practices to promote well-being and resilience. Here, Dr. Yehia discusses how Ascension started the conversation on burnout and the initiatives it is using to move that conversation for- ward. Editor's note: Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity. Question: Are there any common misconceptions about burnout among hospital leaders and clinicians? Dr. Baligh Yehia: Medicine is a field where many folks expect you to be "tough." One of the common misconcep- tions is thinking burnout might not affect you or your colleagues. You might not be aware of it, but burnout impacts phy- sicians young and old, male and female, regardless of specialty. It doesn't discrimi- nate. Physicians are afraid to speak about it and share what they might be feeling. As we start to tackle this as a profession, it needs to be OK to raise your hand and say, "I'm having some issues here." e other misconception, from an organi- zation or societal standpoint, is that burn- out is the fault of the individual. Burnout is not for folks who don't know how to have work-life balance or that are not as efficient as other providers. It really is a system issue as much as it is an individual issue. It shouldn't fall on the doctor, ad- vanced practice provider or nurse solely. Q: What are some signs of burn- out? BY: at's one of the reasons why we want to spread this work, to help individuals assess themselves and their colleagues. Burnout is an actual syndrome with a constellation of different manifestations. When we think about some of the signs you might be able to see, it's folks who may have depression, substance abuse, broken relationships. You can see folks become more inefficient at work or more prone to medical errors. ey are also more prone to quitting the profession or leaving organizations. e signs of it are exhaustion, cynicism, fatigue and in- efficiency. It's one of those things, though, where you can't just look at someone and say, "You are burned out." at's why at Ascension we have devel- oped ways to measure burnout. Our version is both anonymous and voluntary. Folks take a nine-question survey that helps them under- stand their sleep patterns, how much time they're at work versus at home, and how their professional career is impacting other parts of their life. Many doctors who have taken the survey reach back out to me and say, "I didn't realize I was a little higher than I thought I was, or that there were so many other people who are just like me." Q: Ascension Medical Group developed a "playbook" with nearly 40 best practices for clinician resilience and well-being. Can you tell me more about how Ascension created this resource? BY: We had so many folks raise their hand to be part of this work. We would have calls at 7 a.m., with about 30-50 doctors sharing best prac- tices that they have used or have seen used. We also looked at literature to see what other best practices existed at other organizations. at's 8th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable November 11-13, 2019 | Hyatt Regency | Chicago, IL Celebrity Keynotes by George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States of America, Nikki Haley, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Former Governor of South Carolina, and Peyton Manning, NFL Legend 150+ Executive Speakers Total - The Smartest Executives in the Healthcare Arena REGISTER HERE beckershospitalreview.com/november-ceo-roundtable-conference Call 800.417.2035 or email Registration@BeckersHealthcare.com, Jessica Cole at jcole@BeckersHealthcare.com or Scott Becker at sbecker@BeckersHealthcare.com. 81 CEOs & 45 CFOs from Great Hospitals and Health Systems Speaking