Is Your Emotional Bank on Empty?

The subject of burnout reflects the reality that we never get the time to account for our own emotions and feelings.

No matter what area of healthcare we are in — direct or indirect patient care — there is a lot of tragedy that we see, hear about, and even treat, especially now in the time of the pandemic.

We — no matter the area of our expertise — are involved with patient care. The big question is do we or even how do we take care of ourselves. We have an emotional bank, a little bit different theory than Stephen R Covey describes in his book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”

Allow me to explain. Although we typically report on healthcare’s rules, regulations, and professional practices on ICD10monitor, we need to pause and focus on the emotional side of ourselves that cannot be eliminated from our typical reporting. Our emotional side is what makes us unique as human beings.

We are hearing so many stories today about professional burnout in the healthcare arena. Is it really burnout, is it stress and a kind of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reaction, or is it an emptying of our emotional bank? Burnout has been defined as a work-related stress syndrome resulting from chronic exposure to job stress. The term was introduced in the early 1970s by the German-born American psychoanalyst Herbert J. Freudenberger, who is typically associated as the one who coined the term “burnout.”

Burnout can occur in any kind of profession, but let’s talk about healthcare. As caregivers, we go from patient to patient to patient, changing emotions, changing mental pathways, constantly without missing a beat. Yet we never get the time to account for our own emotions and feelings.

Doing this day after day after day empties our emotional bank, whether we are aware of it or not, leading to the point of overdraft or even bankruptcy of our own personal ability to continue to deal with this stress. We never allow ourselves to process our grieving and over time this “bankruptcy” of emotions can lead to burnout. We can’t take it anymore. How do we treat burnout? How do we re-inspire our love for what we do?

Truly all healthcare workers are the best at what they do. We must allow ourselves, not the luxury, but the necessity of going through the grieving process. It will help to decrease the stress.

We need to reignite the fire of passion for what we do and remember why we entered this field.

Programming Note: Listen to Dr. John Zelem every Tuesday on Talk Ten Tuesdays, 10 Eastern.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

John Zelem, MD, FACS

John Zelem, MD, is principal owner and chief executive officer of Streamline Solutions Consulting, Inc. providing technology-enabled, expert physician advisor services. A board-certified general surgeon with more than 26 years of clinical experience, Dr. Zelem managed quality assessment and improvement as a former executive medical director in the past. He developed expertise in compliance, contracts and regulations, utilization review, case management, client relations, physician advisor programs, and physician education. Dr. Zelem is a member of the RACmonitor editorial board.

Related Stories

Leave a Reply

Please log in to your account to comment on this article.

Featured Webcasts

Heart Failure Coding Essentials: Ensuring Compliance and Optimal Reimbursement

Heart Failure Coding Essentials: Ensuring Compliance and Optimal Reimbursement

Master the complexities of heart failure coding with this expert-led webcast by Emily Montemayor, CCS, CMBCS, COC, CPC, CPMA. Discover strategies to ensure compliance with ICD-10-CM guidelines, documentation integrity, and capture comorbidities like CKD and hypertension. Learn how to resolve coding challenges, improve documentation practices, and submit clean claims to minimize denials and safeguard your organization’s financial health. With practical insights and real-world examples, this session equips you to prevent revenue leakage, enhance compliance, and secure optimal reimbursement—all while supporting better patient outcomes.

February 26, 2025
Decoding 2025 OPPS Charge Capture and Coding Complexities: Strategies for Success

Decoding 2025 OPPS Charge Capture and Coding Complexities: Strategies for Success

Prepare your organization for the 2025 OPPS updates with expert insights from Tiffani Bouchard, CCS, CRCR, a Revenue Integrity Professional with over 30 years of experience. This webcast will address critical challenges in charge capture and coding, providing clarity on APC policies, C-APC packaging, exclusions, and payer-specific requirements. Attendees will learn actionable strategies to ensure compliance, optimize reimbursement, and mitigate risks of claim denials. Gain the knowledge needed to implement updates effectively, educate your team, and maintain seamless revenue cycle operations in the face of evolving OPPS complexities.

January 29, 2025
Enhancing Outcomes with CDI-Coding-Quality Collaboration in Acute Care Hospitals

Enhancing Outcomes with CDI-Coding-Quality Collaboration in Acute Care Hospitals

Join Angela Comfort, DBA, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, as she presents effective strategies to strengthen collaboration between CDI, coding, and quality departments in acute care hospitals. Angela will also share guidance on implementing cross-departmental meetings, using shared KPIs, and engaging leadership to foster a culture of collaboration. Attendees will gain actionable tools to optimize documentation accuracy, elevate quality metrics, and drive a unified approach to healthcare goals, ultimately enhancing both patient outcomes and organizational performance.

November 21, 2024

Trending News

Featured Webcasts

Utilization Review Essentials: What Every Professional Needs to Know About Medicare

Utilization Review Essentials: What Every Professional Needs to Know About Medicare

Dr. Ronald Hirsch dives into the basics of Medicare for clinicians to be successful as utilization review professionals. He’ll break down what Medicare does and doesn’t pay for, what services it provides and how hospitals get paid for providing those services – including both inpatient and outpatient. Learn how claims are prepared and how much patients must pay for their care. By attending our webcast, you will gain a new understanding of these issues and be better equipped to talk to patients, to their medical staff, and to their administrative team.

March 20, 2025

Rethinking Observation Metrics: Standardizing Data for Better Outcomes

Hospitals face growing challenges in measuring observation metrics due to inconsistencies in classification, payer policies, and benchmarking practices. Join Tiffany Ferguson, LMSW, CMAC, ACM, and Anuja Mohla, DO, FACP, MBA, ACPA-C, CHCQM-PHYADV as they provide critical insights into refining observation metrics. This webcast will address key issues affecting observation data integrity and offer strategies for improving consistency in reporting. You will learn how to define meaningful metrics, clarify commonly misinterpreted terms, and apply best practices for benchmarking, and gain actionable strategies to enhance observation data reliability, mitigate financial risk, and drive better decision-making.

February 25, 2025
Navigating the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: Key Changes and Strategies for Success

Navigating the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: Key Changes and Strategies for Success

The 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule brings significant changes to payment rates, coverage, and coding for physician services, impacting practices nationwide. Join Stanley Nachimson, MS., as he provides a comprehensive guide to understanding these updates, offering actionable insights on new Medicare-covered services, revised coding rules, and payment policies effective January 1. Learn how to adapt your practices to maintain compliance, maximize reimbursement, and plan for revenue in 2025. Whether you’re a physician, coder, or financial staff member, this session equips you with the tools to navigate Medicare’s evolving requirements confidently and efficiently.

January 21, 2025
Patient Notifications and Rights: What You Need to Know

Patient Notifications and Rights: What You Need to Know

Dr. Ronald Hirsch provides critical details on the new Medicare Appeal Process for Status Changes for patients whose status changes during their hospital stay. He also delves into other scenarios of hospital patients receiving custodial care or medically unnecessary services where patient notifications may be needed along with the processes necessary to ensure compliance with state and federal guidance.

December 5, 2024

Trending News

Prepare for the 2025 CMS IPPS Final Rule with ICD10monitor’s IPPSPalooza! Click HERE to learn more

Get 15% OFF on all educational webcasts at ICD10monitor with code JULYFOURTH24 until July 4, 2024—start learning today!

CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 2 with code CYBER24