In this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host Daniel Williams welcomes Michael Tutty, PhD, MHA, FACMPE, Group Vice President at the American Medical Association (AMA). Tutty leads the AMA's efforts in professional satisfaction and practice sustainability, focusing on improving the well-being of clinicians across the country. In this discussion, he shares insights on addressing physician burnout and how cultivating curiosity can empower practice leaders to create positive change. Tutty presents a session titled Embrace Curiosity as Your Superpower: Identifying Organizational Improvements for Clinician Well-Being at the upcoming MGMA Leaders Conference in Denver.
Curiosity as a Superpower
Tutty explains that the inspiration for the title of his Leaders session came from a scene in the popular TV show "Ted Lasso," where the main character Ted Lasso discusses the Walt Whitman quote, "Be curious, not judgmental." This idea of embracing curiosity resonated with Tutty, who believes it can be a powerful tool for practice leaders and clinicians to overcome feelings of helplessness and find solutions to the challenges they face.
"When you're curious, you can actually start to find solutions and fixes, as opposed to saying all these things are happening to me," he says. "If you think about that for a minute, that means, yes, there are issues … but three quarters of the things that you're frustrated with are actually in your organization's ability to fix."
Tutty encourages practice leaders and clinicians to embrace curiosity as a means of identifying and addressing organizational improvements that can enhance well-being. He shares a personal example of how his own curiosity led him to streamline his document approval process, which had become cumbersome due to the shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I realized I have the power to start to figure out how to fix that problem,” he recalls. “We in our workplace have many of those things we do every day, and we've got to start to ask questions, not questions to threaten our colleagues or be disgruntled, but questions for curiosity."
By asking questions and exploring the reasons behind existing processes, Tutty found more efficient solutions, such as programming his work email into his home printer and advocating for the implementation of electronic signatures.
Addressing the Roots of Burnout
Tutty's team at the AMA has conducted extensive research to understand the primary drivers of physician burnout, which has become a growing concern in the healthcare industry. The data reveals that the cumulative administrative burden, including time spent on EHRs and patient portals, is a significant contributor to clinician dissatisfaction.
"There's just so many things right now. It's not just one,” Tutty highlights. “It is really the cumulative administrative burden that takes away the time from clinicians spending with their patients, and so we need to address that." He explains that the AMA has consciously decided to focus on addressing these systemic issues at the practice, hospital and health system levels, rather than solely on individual solutions like mindfulness and resilience training. The belief is that while burnout manifests in the individual, the root causes are often found in the broader healthcare system.
Celebrating Wins and Sharing Successes
Tutty encourages practice leaders and clinicians to identify opportunities for improvement and celebrate and share their successes. By highlighting wins—whether small or large—and communicating them to colleagues, individuals can inspire others to follow suit and create a more positive work environment.
“Our leaders want us to succeed,” he says. “They don't want to create burdens, but sometimes we feel like it's all happening to us. Take a step back, be curious, and I am positive you'll find some opportunities to create a better opportunity for yourself and the colleagues you work with.”
Tutty's session at the MGMA Leaders Conference, titled Embrace Curiosity as Your Superpower: Identifying Organizational Improvements for Clinician Well-Being, will provide attendees with practical tools and resources to embrace curiosity and drive organizational improvements for clinician well-being. By fostering a culture of curiosity and celebrating successes, practice leaders can empower their teams and contribute to the overall well-being of the healthcare workforce.
Resources:
- Michael Tutty at AMA
- American Medical Association
- MGMA Leaders Conference - Register Here
- MGMA Leaders Conference Schedule - Check Here
MGMA Resources:
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