In this complex, fast-paced world of modern healthcare, I find it easy to get lost in metrics and throughput. But lately, I’ve been reflecting on Dr. Joshua Hartzell’s “A Prescription for Caring in Healthcare Leadership,” and it reinforces a core belief we share: Leadership is about empowerment, not control. Performance isn’t just about individual effort; it’s about the strength of the system supporting that effort. When we prioritize the health of our team, we allow our healers to truly heal.
Why We Need a New Approach
The need for this shift is backed by more than just my intuition. The 2025 Medscape Employed Physicians Report highlights a growing crisis: while many clinicians choose employment for stability, many struggle with a lack of autonomy and the crushing weight of administrative “noise” or “ burden”. The data shows that “limited influence on workplace decisions” is a top driver of burnout. To me, this is clear evidence that the traditional “Command and Control” model is no longer sustainable. We need a new prescription—one centered on the interprofessional team.
Empowering the Interprofessional Team
To solve the challenges of access and burnout, we must look at the physician as the leader of a high-functioning, interprofessional team. This means expanding roles and ensuring every team member—from our clinical support staff to our advanced practice clinicians—has the tools they need to succeed.
When a physician is supported by a robust, fully-resourced team, the entire practice breathes easier. This collaborative approach allows us to better address health-related social needs—those factors outside the practice walls that so often impact health outcomes and limit a patient’s access to care. By working together to identify these needs and providing timely referrals, we ensure our care is as holistic as it is clinical.
Technology as Our Partner in Care
A major part of the “prescription” is using technology to restore the human connection. Medscape data reveals that clinicians spend an exhausting amount of time on documentation. By integrating Ambient Voice technology and structured templates, we can free ourselves from the keyboard and be fully present with our patients.
We can go further by using AI-driven messaging tools to intelligently filter communications. This closes care gaps automatically and ensures only high-priority clinical questions reach the physician’s desk. This, combined with clinical support tools for evidence-based care, ensures we provide the highest quality outcomes without the mental fatigue of administrative “clutter.”
The Heart of the Team: Being Heard and Valued
Ultimately, the most successful healthcare organizations are built on a foundational truth: caring leadership is not a weakness; it is an act of empowerment. When we trade rigid oversight for radical listening and curiosity, we stop seeing staffing gaps as “performance issues” and begin seeing them as vital opportunities to strengthen our human bonds. By hearing our clinicians when they tell us the work is endless, we move beyond mere management toward true advocacy.
We must commit to an integrated model where compassionate leadership, smart technology, and team-based support work in harmony. Together, we don’t just “manage” a service—we ignite a culture where clinicians thrive, and because they thrive, our patients receive the world-class care they deserve.
“The leadership qualities of physician supervisors have a direct impact on the personal well-being of the physicians they lead.” — Dr. Tait Shanafelt
A Family Doctor's Reflection 