TOPLINE

More than 75% of family physicians experienced substantial administrative burden. Helpful support from staff and templates embedded in electronic health records helped ease some of the load.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to characterize administrative burdens faced by family physicians using data from a 2024 board certification questionnaire. 
• They analyzed responses from 8419 family physicians (46% women; 60% younger than 50 years).
• Physicians reported the time required for tracking external health information, managing prior authorizations, and after-hours documentation. “Triple burden” was defined as substantial effort on two tasks and at least 3 evening hours documenting care.

TAKEAWAY

• About 77% of physicians reported at least one substantial administrative burden; 15% experienced three.
• Physicians who were satisfied with support for obtaining external health information had significantly reduced odds of putting high effort into tracking information.
• Physicians who used staff support and electronic health record templates were less likely to spend substantial time after hours on documentation.
• Completing prior authorizations using electronic records was not associated with reduced prior authorization burden.

IN PRACTICE

“Addressing the ‘triple burden’ among 15% of physicians will require targeted investment in interoperable infrastructure, streamlined prior authorization processes, and scalable documentation supports,” the researchers of the study wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Meghan Hufstader Gabriel, PhD, of the US Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC. It was published online on August 4 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

LIMITATIONS

The study was cross-sectional. The data were self-reported by physicians.

DISCLOSURES

The study received funding from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. Various authors reported employment with the funding agency, receipt of grants, or ties with various organizations.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.