Physician burnout costs up to $4.6 billion a year

The economic cost of physician burnout — from fewer hours in the clinic or from having to replace those who leave the profession — could be up to an average of $4.6 billion yearly, a new study finds. Looking at data from nearly 7,000 physicians who were surveyed about burnout in 2014, researchers calculated the economic costs to organizations could be anywhere between $4,100 to $10,200 per physician. The study only looked at direct costs and didn’t include other indirect expenses, including costs associated with delivering poor care, which is a symptom of physician burnout. The authors of the report write that their study provides an economic incentive for organizations to invest in alleviating burnout.