The high cost of physician burnout: $4.6B a year

There’s a good reason for organizations to try to alleviate physician burnout. The problem costs the U.S. healthcare industry an estimated $4.6 billion a year because of doctor turnover and reduced clinical hours.

Although physician burnout is blamed for negative clinical and organizational outcomes, it also carries economic costs, according to a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

A research team comprising members from the National University of Singapore, Stanford University, the Mayo Clinic and the American Medical Association developed a mathematical model using contemporary published research findings and industry reports to estimate burnout-associated costs.