Chornobyl. Three Mile Island. Fukushima. In every instance, the world watched in fear and anticipation as governments and engineers struggled to contend with the meltdown of a nuclear reactor, an environmental disaster with the potential to affect the health of millions for generations to come.

When a reactor melts down, the core—uranium rods that generate power by turning water into steam—overheats, threatening to destroy its container and release deadly radiation. In these instances, like Chornobyl, the amount of steam can become so great that the reactor’s containment system ruptures from internal pressure. Therefore, the most common ways to reverse a meltdown are to cool the core and release pressure.

These disasters captivate the world whenever they occur. They spark debate about the safety of nuclear reactors, what measures can be taken to prevent future accidents, and how to better protect the populations these plants provide energy for. But an equally consequential trend emerging in rural and community hospitals across the country has received only a fraction of the public’s attention. Amid workforce shortages and ongoing public health crises, physicians face an increasing loss of autonomy. They often feel as though they have no control over their work environment. For hospital leadership, regulator pressures continue to escalate while workforce shortages create bottlenecks amid a revenue slump.

In short, there is a reactor leak in US hospitals. But instead of leadership addressing the root cause of the problem, doctors are often told to put on more protection and get back in the power plant.

How to Fix a Reactor

You don’t fix a reactor meltdown by telling engineers to double up on HAZMAT suits. But that’s the approach of most resiliency program narratives; they’re directed at the individual. They advocate for improved mental health, professional practices, and personal well-being. None of these measures address the systemic failures at the core of the problem.

Physicians want to see that there is a recognition of the challenges, and that leadership and business partners understand their perspective. They want to see a move toward fixing the reactor’s machinery and getting the system back online so they can feel safe and supported where they work.

The Release Valve

Electronic health record systems (EHR) are often the chief culprit in the physician burnout crisis, and where health systems should focus on relieving pressure.

Physicians are tired of fitting the foot to the shoe when it comes to healthcare software solutions in general—they want an EHR designed with input from real, live practitioners. People who understand the touchpoints and the frustrations. They want one record, one functionality, and drill-down analytics with data they can use, created by people who understand healthcare numbers aren’t always black and white.

Hospital leadership wants access to the tools and expertise necessary to meet shifting regulatory requirements and to invest in secure, state-of-the-art technology that helps their clinicians deliver smarter, more effective care—all while making a profit.

MEDHOST EHR

By leveraging state-of-the-art technology, and an ongoing dialogue with providers, MEDHOST helps healthcare facilities alleviate grueling tasks such as data entry and making sense of analytics, giving physicians a chance to spend more time at the bedside improving outcomes.

MEDHOST Physician Experience makes your EHR experience more robust and intuitive by integrating Chart, Note, and Order functions into a unified, comprehensive clinical suite. Designed with direct input from clinicians, including a 12-member Physician Advisory Board (PAB), Physician Experience is the innovative result of creating software around established physician processes. That means no more changing your workflow to fit a cumbersome EHR platform.

Our new tools, like MEDHOST Mobility Physician, put a global view of rounding workflows in the hands of clinicians, while established compatibility helps create a truly interoperable patient record.

Reverse the meltdown. Email us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278 to speak with one of our specialists about how our streamlined technology and all-in-one services can help prevent physician burnout.