Primary Care Provider Burnout: Implications for States & Strategies for Mitigation
Provider burnout is widespread and becoming more pervasive over time. Using the experience of the Heart of Virginia Healthcare (HVH) as a lens, this brief addresses the scope and impact of provider burnout, why states should care, and what states can do about it. HVH is one of seven regional cooperatives reaching 1500 primary care practices nationwide as part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s EvidenceNOW initiative to advance evidence-based cardiovascular disease prevention. The experiences of primary care practices participating in the HVH cooperative point to a number of practice challenges contributing to burnout including issues related to scope of practice, payment reform, reporting requirements, and electronic health records. This brief outlines a range of strategies and policy options that states have for mitigating burnout, which threatens not only provider engagement, but patient outcomes.
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
