Difficult Patients, Regulators, and Lawyers: How to Keep %#@^ from Hitting the Fan-Webinar Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this AOA webinar titled "Beating Back the Blahs, Burnout," Dr. Neal Baum discusses strategies to combat mid-career physician burnout and discontent. He highlights common causes, including administrative burdens like prior authorizations and the loss of professional autonomy. Dr. Baum suggests small, incremental changes such as using scribes or AI tools to reduce paperwork and improve efficiency. He emphasizes the importance of continual learning and diversifying professional interests to rekindle passion for medicine.<br /><br />Dr. Baum also advocates for finding hobbies or side projects outside medicine to combat monotony, sharing personal examples like magic shows and Lego projects with family. For persistent burnout, he discusses career changes as a rewarding option, encouraging physicians to explore alternatives early.<br /><br />He highlights practical tools like recall lists to keep practices robust and "sacred time" scheduling to accommodate urgent patient needs without disrupting appointments. Dr. Baum stresses the need to set boundaries with technology by taking regular unplugged breaks to improve focus and relationships.<br /><br />Overall, Dr. Baum encourages physicians to actively embrace change, improve time management, and seek balance. His advice aims to increase job satisfaction, patient care quality, and work-life harmony, offering tested, low-cost solutions proven in his clinical experience. Resources and papers are available for further guidance.

Keywords

physician burnout

mid-career discontent

administrative burdens

prior authorizations

professional autonomy

scribes and AI tools

continual learning

work-life balance

career changes