On Demand: From Burnout to Balance: Transformation of Cardiology Call in Virginia Heart Hospital-Presentation Slides

Presentation Slides

Pdf Summary

The MedAxiom case study, titled "From Burnout to Balance: A Study in Cardiologist Coverage Model," highlights challenges faced by the cardiology sector and solutions implemented to address them. Amid a national shortage, a significant proportion of cardiologists are over 61, highlighting an urgent workforce gap. With high demand driven by prevalent conditions like ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and obesity, the burden on existing cardiologists is considerable, leading to burnout among over a quarter of them.<br /><br />MedAxiom, in collaboration with Sentara Cardiology, addresses these challenges by implementing Moonlighting Solutions (MLS) to provide flexible staffing, which includes weekend, holiday, and vacation STEMI coverage. This initiative led to decreased physician burnout, improved inpatient care consistency, and reduced Length of Stay (LOS), particularly after implementing an Electrophysiology Rounding (EP Rounding) Team Model.<br /><br />The program also expanded recruitment opportunities and ensured consistent procedural coverage in labs and imaging departments. Outcomes included an impressive rise in cardiac surgery and procedural volumes and a notable decrease in inpatient LOS at Sentara Heart Hospital.<br /><br />Lessons learned from this venture emphasize establishing clear operational expectations, effective credentialing, and preparatory orientations. Looking ahead, Sentara plans to expand these models in 2025, exploring further burnout reduction and potentially extending moonlighting solutions to support other specialties. These efforts aim to support the cardiology workforce through balanced workloads, enhanced work-life harmony, and improved recruitment and retention strategies.

Keywords

cardiology

burnout

workforce gap

Moonlighting Solutions

Sentara Cardiology

Electrophysiology Rounding

inpatient care

recruitment

work-life balance

cardiac surgery