Burnout has become a silent crisis in healthcare, quietly eroding the well-being of providers and the quality of care patients receive. Eileen Filliben, a healthcare advocate and former patient who has navigated the system’s many shortcomings, believes that provider burnout is one of the most pressing yet under-addressed issues in modern medicine. “Doctors and nurses are the backbone of healthcare,” she says. “But the system is pushing them to their breaking points, and it’s the patients who ultimately pay the greatest price.” This article explores the causes of burnout, its devastating effects on the healthcare system, and actionable strategies to address this growing crisis.
Understanding the Roots of Burnout
Burnout in healthcare is not a new phenomenon, but it has reached alarming levels in recent years. Long hours, heavy caseloads, and administrative burdens have created a toxic work environment for many providers. According to a 2023 study, nearly 63% of physicians reported feeling burned out, marking a sharp increase over the past decade.
Filliben attributes much of this burnout to the flawed insurance system. “Providers spend hours every week on paperwork and phone calls, battling insurance companies to justify their medical decisions,” she explains. “This isn’t why they went into medicine, and it’s draining their passion for the profession.”
The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these challenges, exposing systemic inefficiencies and placing unprecedented stress on providers. Many frontline workers found themselves managing overwhelming patient loads, navigating shortages of critical supplies, and grappling with the emotional toll of the pandemic that severely overloaded the system. For many, COVID-19 served as the breaking point, with record numbers of healthcare professionals leaving the field altogether.
The Human Cost of Provider Burnout
The consequences of burnout extend far beyond individual providers. When doctors and nurses are overworked and emotionally drained, it affects their ability to deliver high-quality care. Burnout has been linked to higher rates of medical errors, reduced patient satisfaction, and poorer health outcomes.
“Patients want to feel heard and cared for, but a burned-out provider often doesn’t have the emotional capacity to connect,” Filliben says. “The ripple effect is devastating—for patients, providers, and the entire healthcare system.”
Burnout also comes with significant financial costs. Replacing a single physician can cost a healthcare organization up to $1 million, factoring in recruitment, training, and lost revenue. With turnover rates skyrocketing, the economic strain on the healthcare system is unsustainable.
Severe burnout can even lead to suicide. Healthcare workers have a 32% greater risk of committing suicide than the general population. Registered nurses are particularly vulnerable with a 64% greater risk. Health technicians are 39% more likely to take their own lives; social and behavioral health workers, 14% more likely. Doctors have an 11% greater chance of ending their own lives than the general population, and female doctors are significantly more likely to commit suicide than their male counterparts.
For Filliben, the human cost of burnout is the most troubling. “Healthcare providers dedicate their lives to helping others,” she says. “The fact that so many are leaving the profession—or worse, struggling with mental health issues—is a crisis we can’t ignore.”
Addressing Burnout: Strategies for Change
While the challenges are daunting, Filliben believes addressing provider burnout is possible with systemic and individual interventions. “This isn’t just a provider problem—it’s a systemic issue that requires collective action,” she emphasizes.
On a systemic level, more must be done to provide mental health resources, peer support programs, and assistance with substance use disorders. Healthcare workers confront the same shame and stigma battles as those who don’t work in healthcare, but they can face even bigger obstacles when it comes to seeking the mental health services they need. Many licensing boards ask probing and overly broad questions about mental health histories when healthcare practitioners are applying for initial or renewal licenses. The questions have a significant chilling effect on providers seeking the treatment they need. In addition, AMA research found that a key driver of suicide in the health care workforce is the stigma associated with talking about and seeking behavioral health care, including fear of losing hospital privileges or credentials. The AMA has partnered with other organizations to successfully lobby dozens of licensing bodies to eliminate or reword questions related to mental health and is pushing for legislative, regulatory and health system changes to support the mental health needs of medical students, residents and physicians. There’s still substantial work ahead.