Insights: Finding time and avoiding burnout — life lessons from a pediatrician and father of 5

In this episode of the MGMA Insights podcast, we’re joined by Phil Boucher, MD, FAAP, Lincoln Pediatrics Group. Dr. Boucher’s a physician time management expert – and he basically has to be. He’s not only a pediatrician, but he’s also a husband, father of five, podcast host, blogger and business coach. Implementing time management processes has allowed Dr. Boucher to achieve his professional goals, all while enjoying his hobbies and personal pursuits. 

You can find all of Dr. Boucher’s time management resources at privatepracticematters.com. 

Don’t quite have time to listen to the entire episode? No worries. We’ve compiled an assortment of highlights from Dr. Boucher’s interview for your convenience: 

• (5:18) “You have to have a good work life, but you also have to have a good home life, and you can’t let them overlap too much. You have to keep checking your priorities to make sure they’re in line.”
• (6:28) “I think there’s so much peace, clarity and confidence that comes when you say, ‘I’m doing what only I can do.’ I’m a physician, and at work, I don’t do a lot of administrative tasks that would be better suited to somebody else, and I’m able to have the confidence and knowledge and people around me that I can really focus on what only I can do. And at home, I’m able to focus on my family and my spouse and my marriage and my health and my well-being and all those things because I’ve got good systems in place that keep me out of the weeds of life, that allow me to focus and do what only I can do.”
• (25:10) “You can’t just go and go and go, and you don’t want to be a productivity RVU machine, because you will burn out. There’s no way to prevent that if that’s the bottom line of why we’re doing this. It really has to be about, I can be efficient at work, and I can be efficient in my home life, and if I can be more efficient at work and see patients in a shorter period of time, that gives me more time to be at home.”
• (28:24) “I think there is so much to do that it’s really easy if you’re not intentional about it to just let all these little things add up to dissatisfaction, whether it be patients, your staff, yourself as a physician. And if you can use technology, if you can use automation strategies, then that allows you to focus on the important stuff.”
• (33:16) “That’s one thing that I’m really comfortable with is failing and realizing that it’s OK to make a mistake and get it wrong and realize, ‘OK, that strategy I employed made things a lot harder on me or on my staff or on my family, and I need to reevaluate.”
• (37:48) “At the end of the day, it’s not for me about just ultimate productivity. It’s much more about prioritization and being able to be present for the person that needs you when they need you.”

Here are some links and reference related to this week’s show: 

• Physician burnout costs industry $4.6B annually
• Don’t Do Anything Someone Else Can Do 80% As Well 
• Where Does the Time Go? Time Management in Medicine
• You >>>> Your Work. Make Time for Mental Margin 
• Are you a candidate for burnout? If you are working in healthcare, you definitely are

If you like the show, please rate and review it wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher or countless other platforms to make sure you never miss an episode. 

We love hearing from listeners about the show. If you have topics you’d like us to cover or experts you’d like us to interview, email us at podcasts@mgma.com or reach out to MGMA Sr. Editor and podcast host Daniel Williams on Twitter at @MGMADaniel. 

MGMA Insights is presented by Decklan McGee, Rob Ketcham and Daniel Williams.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Join other healthcare professionals who always keep the bottom line in mind at MGMA20 | The Financial Conference, March 5-7 in Nashville. To learn more or to register, visit mgma.com/TFC20.

Microsoft Excel's Pivot Table feature is a fastt and powerful way to analyze and consolidate large amounts of data and quickly extract critical knowledge. You can learn how to integrate pivot tables into your medical practice at an MGMA online seminar, Jan. 28-29. During this workshop, presenter Nate Moore will provide a hands-on demonstration and answer questions on how to use this essential tool to analyze your organization's revenue cycle. Click here for more information or to register.