AMA profiles clinic peer support program

The American Medical Association on May 18 published a case profile on how Hattiesburg Clinic in Mississippi kept its physician well-being work moving during a leadership transition. The piece described a “strategic pause” in the clinic’s reapplication to the AMA Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program while leaders reassessed priorities. It said the clinic continued small-group peer sessions, onboarding lectures and electronic health record workflow changes during the transition. The AMA framed those steps as operational measures aimed at sustaining physician connection and continuity. ### Why did Hattiesburg Clinic take a “strategic pause”? The AMA article said Hattiesburg Clinic chose to pause its reapplication to the Joy in Medicine program as it navigated a change in leadership for its physician well-being efforts. Nancy Salloum Harrison, a rheumatologist at Hattiesburg Clinic’s The Arthritis Center–West, told the AMA the organization was trying “to be pretty intentional about not losing momentum during this transition.” (ama-assn.org) The Mississippi health system used the pause to reassess physician well-being priorities rather than stop its existing work, according to the AMA. Harrison said previous leadership had built “a strong foundation” and that the clinic was trying to continue that work while expanding it. ### What did the clinic keep in place while leadership changed? (ama-assn.org) The May 18 profile said Hattiesburg Clinic continued established initiatives including small-group sessions, onboarding lectures and EHR improvements. The article also said the strategy included new engagement opportunities and social connection, including activities with an athletic component. (ama-assn.org) A March 2024 AMA profile on the same organization said Hattiesburg Clinic had already tied physician well-being efforts to physician input in organizational decisions, physician-led teams, EHR optimization and social events. That earlier article described the clinic as physician-owned and physician-governed. ### What role did EHR changes play? (ama-assn.org) An April 2024 AMA report said Hattiesburg Clinic’s EHR optimization work began in 2017 and focused on improving patient care while creating efficiencies for physicians. The article said the clinic used Epic tools and had earned Epic Gold Stars Level 10 for four consecutive years. A separate AMA case study said the clinic used technology to refine workflows, reduce administrative burden and improve physician satisfaction. (ama-assn.org) That report linked workflow redesign and technology use to broader value-based care and clinician experience goals. ### What evidence has the AMA previously cited on the clinic’s well-being results? An August 2023 AMA profile said 84.6% of Hattiesburg Clinic physicians reported being satisfied with their job after the clinic completed the AMA Organizational Biopsy, compared with a national benchmark of 69%. (ama-assn.org) The same article said 48.2% of physicians reported job-related stress, versus 55% nationwide. (ama-assn.org) That 2023 profile said Hattiesburg Clinic had more than 450 physicians and non-physician providers across 17 counties in South Mississippi. A March 2024 AMA article separately said the organization represented 40 specialties across 70 locations in Mississippi. ### How is the AMA presenting this case? The AMA article placed Hattiesburg Clinic inside its broader physician well-being coverage and its Joy in Medicine recognition framework. (ama-assn.org) The AMA’s physician well-being program says it focuses on research, tools and system-level changes intended to reduce burnout and improve professional satisfaction. The May 18 profile presented the Hattiesburg Clinic example as one way a health system can maintain continuity during internal change: pause a formal recognition step, keep peer support and workflow work in place, and preserve physician connection while leadership responsibilities shift. That framing is drawn from the AMA’s description of the case. (ama-assn.org) The next public reference point is the clinic’s eventual return to the Joy in Medicine process, which the AMA article said had been paused during the reassessment. Until then, the measures the AMA named as ongoing were peer-group sessions, onboarding lectures and EHR improvements at Hattiesburg Clinic. (ama-assn.org)