Productivity in health care doesn’t mean doing ‘more with less’

Calls to “enhance productivity” in health care can feel like a euphemism for “do more with less” – a bitter pill to swallow for those of us on the front lines grappling with rising patient volumes, growing complexities of care, resource scarcity and staff shortages.

Canada’s health system is inefficient. Health-care professionals are shackled to fax machines, battling with siloed electronic health records (EHRs) that don’t talk to one another. Reports are lost, requisitions bounce back, and valuable clinician time is devoured by redundant administrative tasks. It’s no wonder that nearly half of physicians in Canada report experiencing burnout.

As a family physician, I can attest to the frustrations of our current system. Every day, I navigate a labyrinth of disjointed platforms, faxes and phone calls to get patients the care they need. The promise of interoperable EHRs – a dream I naively believed in 20 years ago – remains unfulfilled.

But enhancing productivity doesn’t mean pushing clinicians to work harder or penalizing them for falling short of impossible administrative standards. We have systemic inefficiencies – and addressing them means building systems that work smarter.

Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), e-referrals and virtual care platforms hold enormous potential to transform health-care delivery. For instance, AI-powered scribes have been shown to reduce administrative time by up to 90 per cent, freeing clinicians to spend more time with patients.

The promise of technology does come with caveats. Poorly designed systems can become barriers rather than solutions. Multiple logins, non-intuitive interfaces and overly complex workflows can alienate clinicians and exacerbate burnout. Worse, when technology fails to address interoperability – when data can’t flow seamlessly between systems – patients and providers alike are left to pick up the pieces.

If AI is to play a central role in health care’s productivity revolution, it also must earn the trust of both clinicians and patients. This means addressing critical concerns around data security, informed consent and transparency. Legislation like Canada’s AI and Data Act is a step in the right direction, but we need to go further, ensuring that these tools are co-designed with clinicians and aligned with real-world workflows.

AI must earn the trust of both clinicians and patients.

Nor is technology the only solution: One of the most promising paths forward is the adoption of team-based care. By shifting from physician-only models to interdisciplinary teams, we can alleviate pressure on individual clinicians while expanding capacity. Patient Medical Homes, for example, have been shown to reduce emergency visits, improve chronic disease management and enhance overall patient outcomes.

Embracing this model will require a cultural shift. Physicians must be willing to share decision-making power with their colleagues, while team members need robust communication tools and clear protocols to collaborate effectively.

Addressing the sheer scale of administrative burden placed on clinicians is another necessary system fix. Simple policy changes, like eliminating sick notes for short-term illnesses or streamlining federal forms, can have an outsized impact.

Above all, enhancing productivity must not come at the expense of clinician well-being. Burnout isn’t just a personal issue – it’s a systemic threat. Burned-out clinicians are more likely to work reduced hours, take early retirement or leave the profession altogether, compounding the very shortages that productivity initiatives aim to address.

Flexible work arrangements, mental health resources and a workplace culture that values the human element of care are essential. Productivity is not about driving clinicians harder; it’s about creating environments where they can thrive.

Countries like Denmark offer a glimpse of what’s possible: integrated electronic platforms, seamless data sharing and team-based care models that prioritize outcomes over volume. By drawing on these examples, investing in digital health infrastructure and fostering collaboration across silos, Canada can build a health-care system that is not only more efficient but also more compassionate and sustainable.

The road ahead is long, but the destination – a health-care system that works for everyone – is worth striving for. To get there, we must embrace innovation, collaboration and, above all, the well-being of those of us who provide care for others. Only then can we truly say we’re working smarter, not harder.

---

Dr. Kathleen Ross is the pas president of the Canadian Medical Association and a family physician in British Columbia.

This article was originally published on Healthy Debate.