CMS push to value-based care leading to more burnout

Editor's Note

The push by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to transform healthcare delivery at community health centers to value-based care is increasing staff dissatisfaction and burnout, this study finds.

From 2013 to 2014, clinicians and staff at 296 centers reported statistically significant declines in multiple measures of professional satisfaction, work environment, and practice culture. Professional satisfaction declined by 10%, burnout increased by 8%, and those wanting to quit rose by 9%. There were no significant improvements on any of the measures surveyed.

Possible stressors include the adoption of health information technology, practice transformation, and increased demand for services, the authors say.

Better working conditions for clinicians and staff could help primary care practices implement delivery system innovations and help sustain the US primary care workforce. Using longitudinal surveys, we assessed the experience of clinicians and staff in 296 clinical sites that participated in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration.