Hospital ownership of practice may reduce physician burnout

Physicians have joined larger groups and hospital systems in the face of multiple challenges across the health care landscape. In a recently published article in the Annals of Family Medicine entitled "Effect of Practice Ownership on Work Environment, Learning Culture, Psychological Safety, and Burnout," Alison Cuellar, PhD, et al, examine whether there are differences across practice ownership in self-reported work environment, a practice culture of learning, psychological safety, and burnout.

Hospital ownership was associated with positive perceptions of practice work environment and lower burnout for staff relative to independent ownership, whereas clinicians in federally qualified health centers perceive a more negative, less joyful work environment and burnout.

The study findings suggest that clinician and non-clinician staff perceive practice adaptive reserve (i.e., the ability to weather the process of change) differently, which may have implications for creating the energy for ongoing quality improvement work.