Protected Time for Electronic Health Record Work and Physician Productivity

Electronic health record (EHR)–based patient portals have enabled asynchronous communication between patients and physicians1,2 but have contributed to fragmented and inefficient work and subsequent physician burnout.3,4 In response, a large ambulatory network in the Western US set aside 1 appointment slot per half-day for physicians to complete asynchronous EHR-based tasks, such as messaging, prior authorizations, and prescription refills, at the physician’s discretion. We assessed changes in productivity and EHR use associated with this intervention relative to a control practice network.