The American Medical Association Joy in Medicine recognition highlights system-level efforts to reduce physician burnout

Cecilia Comerford-Ames, CMS Communications Manager

Physician wellbeing cannot be solved by individual resilience. System-level changes have the ability to create some of the comprehensive changes needed to support the physicians caring for our communities. The American Medical Association’s Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program recognizes health care organizations that are taking measurable steps to lower burnout, promote wellbeing, and support high-quality care. 

This year, Colorado is celebrating three organizations that are currently recognized through the program: Colorado Permanente Medical Group, which received Bronze recognition for 2026-2027; Denver Health Medical Center, which received Silver recognition for 2026-2027; and UCHealth, which is recognized at the Bronze level for 2025-2026. Recognition is valid for two years.

Heidi Clune, MD, medical director of wellness for Colorado Permanente Medical Group shared, “The Joy in Medicine Bronze Award recognizes our work at Colorado Permanente Medical Group and gives us a framework to guide our ongoing work to keep improving physician wellbeing and reduce burnout. Building a culture of wellness takes all of us – executives, local leaders, operations teams and front-line physicians. It’s exciting to celebrate our progress and see where we can do more. We’ve also collaborated with chief wellness officers across Colorado, and we’re grateful to be part of a statewide community committed to advancing physician wellbeing.”

Their recognition comes at a time when health care organizations nationwide continue to confront the systemic factors contributing to physician burnout. Although burnout rates have declined, they are still higher than other industries. Physicians continue to face challenges including administrative burdens, staffing pressures, mental health stigma and more that can affect professional fulfillment and the sustainability of the physician workforce.

The Joy in Medicine program, launched in 2019, reviews organizations with a framework for addressing those pressures. Applicants demonstrate progress across six defined domains: assessment to measure wellbeing, commitment to the workforce, efficiency of the practice environment, teamwork, leadership and support. 

For Colorado physicians, the recognition represents more than another award for a health system. It points to an important shift in how the profession approaches burnout: creating sustainable careers in medicine requires organizations to examine the systems, workflows and cultures surrounding physicians.

Justin Ross, PsyD, director of workplace wellness at UCHealth shares, “I often say wellbeing isn’t a problem to be solved. It’s a value to be integrated into how we work, lead, and care for one another. What I’m most proud of is that UCHealth continues to recognize employee wellbeing not as a standalone initiative, but as an essential part of how we build a healthy, resilient organization.” 

There is growing evidence that these efforts matter. AMA data indicate that physicians working in Joy in Medicine-recognized organizations generally report a more positive professional environment, including lower burnout, higher job satisfaction and lower intent to leave, compared with physicians at organizations that have not earned recognition.

Ultimately, supporting physician wellbeing is an investment not only in physicians, but also in the patients and communities they serve. Health systems that reduce unnecessary burdens, strengthen teams and create supportive leadership structures help physicians devote more of their energy to patient care.

The recognition of Colorado Permanente Medical Group, Denver Health Medical Center and UCHealth offers an opportunity to highlight meaningful work happening across Colorado while encouraging the broader medical community to continue addressing burnout at its source. When the systems around physicians work better, physicians are better positioned to focus on what brought them to medicine in the first place: caring for patients.