Radiology pushes for $45M to fund federal physician burnout program
The American College of Radiology is among numerous physician societies urging congress to provide at least $45 million to fund programs meant to address physician burnout and workplace wellness.
ACR and others recently wrote to both the U.S. House and Senate, urging them to support the Lorna Breen Mental Health Act. First passed by Congress in 2022, the program is named after a New York emergency physician who died by suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lorna Breen Act funds grants to hospitals and health systems, helping them provide offerings that address mental health issues among radiologists and other physicians. Thus far, it has delivered over $100 million in federal funding nationwide since March 2022. Congress recently reaffirmed the value of these programs by reauthorizing the Lorna Breen Act through 2030 as part of the last Consolidated Appropriations Act.
However, ACR, the American Medical Association, American College of Cardiology and others now want lawmakers to provide the necessary financial support for the first and only law aimed at preventing suicide among providers.
“Each year, Congress provides tens of billions of dollars for the critical purpose of developing our healthcare workforce,” ACR and others wrote on March 27. “The Lorna Breen Act is an essential component in retaining those healthcare workers, particularly given projected workforce shortages. Lorna Breen Act programs represent a modest federal investment with a massive impact in improving the health and well-being of those who care for all of us.”
Others signing the message included the American College of Surgeons, American Nurses Association, Johnson & Johnson, Society for Vascular Surgery, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and more. ACR also similarly advocated for funding in 2024 when the program was up for review. In the recent letter, medical societies estimated the Lorna Breen Act has now supported over 250,000 healthcare workers in 24 states through 44 evidence-based initiatives to strengthen physician, nurse and other providers’ mental health.
They highlighted tangible results from these efforts, with grantees reporting a 35% reduction in turnover, 37% drop in burnout rates and 50% downturn in mental health conditions. Continued funding also could help reduce radiologists' and other physicians’ administrative burden, a “key driver of burnout.”
The American College of Radiology also shared the two letters to lawmakers in a news update published April 2.
“ACR supports continued funding to reduce the stigma around seeking mental healthcare and expanded education and training that address stress and burnout in the healthcare workforce,” it said Thursday.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.