UCI Health honored by AMA for promoting well-being and reducing burnout
Academic health system is committed to sustaining wellness programs that support physicians
November 01, 2024
Orange, Calif. — UCI Health has earned recognition from the American Medical Association (AMA) as a Joy in Medicine™ health organization.
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. The honor is valid for two years.
“UCI Health and the UC Irvine School of Medicine have been committed to recognizing the challenges of physician burnout and sustaining wellness programs to support their physicians,” said Dr. Anju Hurria, director of the University of California, Irvine’s Faculty Wellness Program, inaugural wellness officer for the UCI Health Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute and associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.
“It is an honor for UCI Health to receive the AMA Joy in Medicine recognition.”
UCI Health also received AMA recognition in 2022.
After peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic, the physician burnout rate has dipped under 50% for the first time in four years. This is a milestone in preventing and reducing physician burnout, 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 Dr. Bruce A. Scott.
“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.”
“The goal of the Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program is to equip health systems with evidence-informed strategies that promote physician well-being,” said Dr. Christine Sinsky, AMA vice president of professional satisfaction.
“Reducing burnout requires health system leaders to invest in systems-based solutions that provide resources to match the demands placed on physicians. There is so much health systems can do to improve physician well-being while also improving patient care. We designed the Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program to provide leaders with an actionable road map to solutions that will help physicians and patients thrive.”
UCI Health well-being programs focused on supporting physicians and include physician coaching, 30-minute mental health support appointments, a faculty peer support program and quarterly well-being grand rounds. Each department also has a designated wellness officer to help improve well-being issues related to that specialty.
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.
Learn more about the AMA Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program at ama-assn.org/joyinmedicine.
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About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, a 459-bed, acute care hospital in Orange, Calif., four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and ambulatory care centers across the region. Recognized as a Top Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
