Virtua Health, South Jersey’s largest health system, has been cited by the American Medical Association for addressing physician burnout after the Marlton-based institution was named a 2025 Joy in Medicine organization by the AMA.
Virtua is among just four New Jersey organizations to receive this honor from the country’s leading physicians’ association. The award recognizes health systems, hospitals, and medical groups that use proven methods to reduce burnout and enhance doctors’ professional fulfillment in providing patient care.
Since its inception in 2019, the AMA’s Joy in Medicine Program has recognized more than 200 organizations across the country. This year, 109 institutions nationwide earned the designation, which lasts for two years.
Burnout among U.S. physicians peaked at 62.8% in 2021 during the Covid pandemic, according to AMA research. But because of strides in addressing burnout at the system level, the national physician burnout rate fell to 45.2% in 2023. Even so, physician-burnout levels remain much higher than those of other U.S. workers.
“As a health system dedicated to creating outstanding experiences for everybody, always, it is especially gratifying to be recognized for caring for our frontline physician workforce,” said Dr. Jennifer Khelil, Virtua’s executive vice president and chief clinical officer.
Organizations that meet the rigorous criteria of the Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program are leaders in the national effort to transform health-care work systems and address the causes of burnout among care teams, the AMA stated.
Physician burnout is a long‑term stress reaction that can harm the well-being of doctors and, consequently, have a negative impact on the delivery of patient care. The condition affects all specialties and all practice settings, according to the AMA.
Virtua uses a range of initiatives to help prevent and reduce physician burnout. For example, decreased doctors’ time spent on electronic health records outside of their designated work hours by offering technology solutions to streamline time-consuming tasks.
Other efforts include regularly scheduled surveys of Virtua doctors to measure burnout rates and gather feedback, plus a “listening campaign” for physicians to speak directly with key leaders about these issues.
Virtua is a not-for-profit, academic health system that operates five hospitals and more than 400 care sites across southern New Jersey.
