Mercy Recognized Again for Clinician Well-being from AMA’s Joy in Medicine® Program

Mercy has once again earned national recognition from the American Medical Association's Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program, highlighting its ongoing work to support clinicians and reduce burnout.

The AMA award is reserved for organizations that go beyond quick fixes, showing a sustained, system-wide commitment to the mental, emotional and professional well-being of care teams. Mercy's continued place on the list shows how deeply it values creating an environment where clinicians can do their best work and thrive.

Only a small number of health systems across Mercy's service area received the honor. This year, Mercy is part of the largest group yet-109 new organizations recognized-bringing the nationwide total to 164.

Sustaining the Work: Mercy's Ongoing Commitment

Mercy has continued to build on foundational efforts to reduce burnout and promote well-being. Key initiatives include:

• Deployment of DAX Copilot, an AI-powered tool that enhances productivity and efficiency in clinical documentation. DAX Copilot automates note creation and allows clinicians to customize their documentation style-whether concise or detailed, bulleted or narrative-reducing time spent on documentation and allowing more focus on patient care.

• Expanded peer support and mental health resources, making it easier for clinicians to access help when they need it. This includes introduction of a dedicated provider wellness resource designed to support clinicians in meaningful and accessible ways.

• Ongoing use of the AMA Mini-Z survey to assess physician and APP burnout annually, ensuring we have actionable data to guide improvements.

• Refinements in Epic workflows and continued collaboration with Clinical Informatics to reduce unnecessary burdens and improve efficiency.

• Leadership engagement in well-being strategies, including formal integration of wellness metrics into leadership roles and processes.

• Teamwork and practice environment assessments, helping us better understand and improve the dynamics that impact clinician satisfaction.

View the full list of recognized organizations on the AMA Joy in Medicine website.

Mercy, one of the 15 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation's largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including 55 acute care and specialty (heart, children's, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 1,000 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 5,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 50,000 caregivers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2025 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.