For those that are concerned about the current practice of medicine, particularly in academic medical centers, I would strongly suggest reading this excellent perspective just published by our very own Dr. Wenzel in the New England Journal of Medicine.As the physicians are pushed to ever greater productivity standards something is lost. That something is time for meaningful interpersonal interactions, thinking and self reflection. Physician loneliness and burnout ensues.
Dr. Wenzel mentions the faculty lounge at VCU Health which he championed, one that allows for a retreat from the busy day to share both meals and ideas with colleagues. I could not be more supportive.
My experience as Chair of Infectious Diseases has made me hyper-aware of the clinical RVU expectations and physician well being. Although only a partial victory with the compensation plan, we were successful in resetting the RVU expectation for VCU Infectious Diseases to a more reasonable target, taking some pressure off of our faculty. Recent changes also include significant decreases in documentation requirements (attestation statements) and centralized inpatient billing (not requiring us to 'drop a bill') effective March 2019. These should further minimize the burdens of clinical care.
Nothing will substantively change until leaders boldly redefine physician value in compensation. Simple economic incentives, such as RVU based compensation systems, fall way short.
