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Sanford Health honored by AMA for well-being of physicians

September 4, 2025

Contact:
David Brown
Sanford Health Media Relations
605-366-2432 / david.brown@sanfordhealth.org

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Sanford Health has earned gold recognition in 2025 from the American Medical Association (AMA) as a Joy in Medicine® organization.

This is the third time Sanford has received the Joy in Medicine recognition from the AMA and the second time at the prestigious gold level.  The Joy in Medicine program is the country’s leading physician’s association honor of health systems, hospitals, and medical groups that prioritize proven methods to reduce burnout and enhance the professional fulfillment of doctors that comes from patient care. 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 root causes of burnout among care teams.

“We are committed as an organization to continually work to find ways to improve our physicians’ day-to-day practices—so that it is fulfilling to them, they can be at their best, and they can provide the absolute best care to their patients,” said Heather Spies, M.D., physician director of clinician experience and well-being at Sanford. “In a challenging health care landscape, we want to bring the real things to the table that are getting in the way for our physicians to be able to do their job with joy and work to find ways to improve those things.  Some of these things are at the operational or organization level, and we need to commit to investing in solutions.  Some of these things are at the individual level, and we need to be sure we have the available resources in place to support our physicians through those. Being a part of the AMA Joy in Medicine Program helps to further this work, as we are able to utilize AMA resources, tools, and their best practices roadmap, and to collaborate with other top health systems who have also made this a top priority.”

Burnout among U.S. physicians peaked at 62.8% in 2021 during the Covid pandemic, according to research. But thanks to strides made to address burnout at the system level, the national physician burnout rate ebbed to 45.2% in 2023.  With their commitment and focus on clinician experience and well-being, Sanford has a lower physician burnout rate than the national benchmark and has seen significant improvement over the last few years with a drop from 50.3% of physicians reporting burnout in 2022 to 36.5% in 2024.

Despite improvements, physician burnout levels remain much higher than other U.S. workers. Continued efforts are essential to ensure doctors receive the support they need to thrive, achieve national health goals, and be well to care for patients.

“Joy in Medicine recognized organizations are leading the gains made against the physician burnout crisis and help clinicians rediscover the deep rewards and joy that comes from helping patients,” said AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, M.D. “The AMA distinction honors each organization’s commitment to not only the health and well-being of the care team, but also to patients. Quality care ultimately originates from a positive and purposeful work culture where health care professionals can flourish both mentally and physically.”

Sanford Health has built a culture of support and well-being through:

Since its inception in 2019, the AMA Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program has recognized more than 200 organizations across the country. Recognition levels are valid for two years. Sanford started in the program with bronze recognition in 2021 and received gold recognition in 2023.  This year, a total of 109 health organizations nationwide earned recognition with documented efforts to reduce system-level drivers of work-related burnout and demonstrated competencies in commitment, assessment, leadership, efficiency of practice environment, teamwork, and support. Organizations that earned 2025-2026 recognition join a strong group of currently recognized organizations from the 2024-2025 program, bringing the currently recognized cohort to 164 recognized organizations, illustrating the growing momentum and essential nature of this important priority.

Learn more about the AMA Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program at ama-assn.org/joyinmedicine.

For more information about Sanford Health, visit sanfordhealth.org.

About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 53,000 employees and serves over 2 million patients and nearly 425,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest including South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The integrated nonprofit health system includes a network of 56 hospitals, 288 clinic locations, 147 senior care communities, 4,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and nearly 1,500 active clinical trials and studies. The organization’s transformational virtual care initiative brings patients closer to care with access to 78 specialties. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.

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