Beyond the Practice: How System-Level Issues Contribute to Physician Burnout

In an interview with Targeted Oncology™, Marcus Neubauer, MD, of The US Oncology Network, discusses system-level factors that can contribute to physician burnout beyond the challenges within individual oncology practices.

For physicians caring for patients with complex diseases such as cancer, difficulty accessing a complete medical history across different care settings can add administrative burden and take time away from patient care. Although health care interoperability continues to advance, information from multiple sources can still be difficult to navigate.

Payer requirements, including prior authorization, represent another source of frustration for physicians and can add administrative work or delay access to recommended treatments. These processes can contribute to the cumulative burden physicians experience throughout the workday, particularly when navigating complex treatment decisions and coordinating care.

Broader federal policy and reimbursement dynamics can also affect physician well-being, particularly in community oncology. Differences in reimbursement structures and financial pressures across practice settings can add complexity to care delivery. Neubauer highlights these longstanding system-level challenges, including ongoing debate around programs such as 340B, as factors that extend beyond individual practices and may need to be addressed more broadly to reduce administrative burden and support the oncology workforce.