SACRAMENTO, Calif. –Sutter Health, Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group and Sutter Independent Physicians have been honored by the American Medical Association (AMA) as Joy in Medicine™ health organizations.

The prestigious AMA distinction is granted to organizations that meet the rigorous criteria of the Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program and acknowledges the nation’s leaders in prioritizing proven efforts to enhance the well-being and professional fulfillment of physicians.

This marks the second time that AMA has honored Sutter Independent Physicians (SIP). SIP, a bronze honoree in 2023, has now received silver recognition and continues to work toward gold designation—the AMA’s highest Joy in Medicine award. Sutter Health is recognized this year as a bronze honoree, joining Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, which received bronze recognition in 2023 (the award is good for two years). Both can apply for silver awards when the next opportunity arises. Collaboration between the Joy of Work team and well-being leaders from medical groups and hospitals led to the Sutter Health system receiving the bronze recognition.

“This recognition from AMA means so much because it shows we’re gaining momentum at Sutter Health. Physicians lead our care teams and are at the heart of the nationally ranked clinical services we deliver to our patients. Their well-being is vital to our organization and to the communities we serve,” says Sutter Health Senior Vice President and Chief Physician Executive Todd Smith, M.D.

After peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic, the national physician burnout rate has dipped under 50% for the first time in four years. This is a milestone, but continued efforts are essential to ensure doctors receive the support they need to thrive and achieve national health goals.

“Physicians are humans caring for other human beings, strained by factors beyond their control and challenged by the enormous expectations placed on them to continuously deliver high quality, compassionate care. There is no doubt change is needed, but what needs to change is not the doctors,” said AMA President Bruce A. Scott, M.D. “A national movement is gaining momentum to transform healthcare work systems and fix the root causes of physician burnout. Health organizations that have earned the AMA’s Joy in Medicine recognition are leading this movement with bold visions for redesigned clinical systems to foster professional well-being and support quality care.”

Here are a couple of examples of support that have helped Sutter physicians in 2024:

• My Virtual Workspace (MVW) Removal: Sutter standardized digital hardware to simplify access, cutting login times from an average of two to five minutes with MVW, to just 10 seconds on a standard PC. YTD, this improvement has given clinicians across our system approximately 395,000 hours to focus on patient care.
• AI Assistance for Patient Messaging: Since March, nearly 1,300 Sutter clinicians have used a new AI tool (ART) to respond to over 93,000 patient messages, saving 13% in time and reducing cognitive burden and mental fatigue. As this offering expands to more Sutter clinicians, even more will benefit from these tools.
• Peer Support: Systemwide, hospital and medical group-based formal Peer Support includes trained physicians, APCs, nurses and employees who are available for anyone at Sutter after an unexpected life stressor or patient event. The trained peers offer support, resources and re-framing to their colleagues and a culture of support at our organization.

Nearly 1,000 Sutter clinicians recently completed AMA’s Organizational Biopsy survey, which included these encouraging results:

• 75% of physicians and 80% of APCs said they’re happy working as caregivers at Sutter Health.
• 59% of physicians and 60% of APCs reported feeling valued by Sutter Health.
• 46% of physicians and 39% of APCs said they’re experiencing burnout symptoms.

While all of these numbers were better than the national benchmarks, Dr. Smith says there’s more work to be done. “We’re making progress in how we support our physician colleagues, and we will keep seeking new ways to support them so they can do what they do best—care for patients and our communities,” he says.

Since its inception in 2019, the AMA Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program has recognized more than 100 organizations across the country. In 2024, a total of 62 health systems nationwide earned recognition with documented efforts to reduce system-level drivers of work-related burnout and demonstrated competencies in commitment, assessment, leadership, efficiency of practice environment, teamwork, and support. These 2024 organizations join a strong cohort of currently recognized organizations from the 2023 program. The organizations will be recognized at the AMA meeting in November and at the American Conference on Physician Health in 2025.

Learn more about the AMA Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program at ama-assn.org/joyinmedicine.