Burnout in behavioral health is nothing new. But today’s behavioral health organizations are facing a perfect storm of factors: a record rise in demand for services, jam-packed provider schedules, mountains of paperwork, the squeeze of staffing shortages and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. All of that has thrown the burnout train into hyperdrive.
Behavioral health providers are now seeking ways to get off the burnout hamster wheel. The answer: AI.
But not the AI of Hollywood nightmares — the AI of health care IT dreams: purpose-built, behavioral health-focused AI that streamlines documentation, serves up key insights to improve care quality and gets providers back to focusing on the work they actually love.
Heavy caseloads and paperwork pressure
According to the American Psychological Association1, almost 40% of psychologists had longer waitlists in 2023 than they did in 2022. That has left providers feeling crushed between overwhelming caseloads and the ever-present pressure to complete their documentation on time. With most sessions being back-to-back, it doesn’t take long for progress notes to pile up.
As Darren Dunham, a team leader at Chicago-based Trilogy, said during a recent webinar2, “It’s all about notes, notes, notes.”
But, AI offers hope — specifically, AI that has been trained on an extensive dataset of real-life behavioral health sessions and fine-tuned to generate documentation that is clinically relevant and accurate. This kind of AI has been proven to reduce provider documentation time by upwards of 50%.
That’s a huge breakthrough in the fight against provider burnout — especially considering that one in three behavioral health workers report3 spending the majority of their time on administrative tasks.
The care quality connection
But provider burnout isn’t just a crisis at the individual employee level — it reverberates throughout entire organizations, influencing everything from staff morale and retention to client engagement and care quality. When providers are distracted by documentation, they can’t fully focus on the clients in front of them, which can negatively impact outcomes. When they aren’t getting consistent feedback and reinforcement, it can lead to gaps in evidence-based practice and therapist drift.
By leveraging innovative technology to streamline administrative responsibilities and enhance the overall work experience for providers, AI tools empower staff to perform at their best. When providers aren’t weighed down by tedious administrative tasks, they’re free to invest in peer relationships, which then creates a work environment that is more resistant to burnout.
“When those same AI tools deliver actionable insights related to evidence-based techniques and key session themes, then in addition to getting the administrative relief, providers gain the ability to deliver more engaged and informed care,” says Alon Joffe, CEO and Co-founder of Eleos Health.
The magic of real-time clinical feedback
The educational journey of a behavioral health provider doesn’t end with a degree or certification. It’s a lifelong commitment to learning. However, without adequate support for skill development and mentorship, many clinicians find themselves hitting a wall. The lack of structured feedback and growth opportunities can be a huge source of burnout, leaving providers feeling stuck and unmotivated.
AI provides real-time insights and reporting features to guide clinicians in self-directed professional growth. Furthermore, these tools help supervisors and mentors quickly identify areas where additional support or training may be beneficial. By facilitating more targeted and effective professional guidance, AI helps foster a culture of continuous learning and development, mitigating one of the lesser-recognized — yet critical — contributors to clinician burnout.
Eleos Health: attacking provider burnout and workforce issues at the source
Streamlining administrative burdens and nurturing staff well-being are both key to retaining clinical staff — not to mention maintaining a high standard of care. As we edge further into the 21st century, technology offers a ray of hope for the burnout crisis. Pioneering mental and behavioral health organizations are alleviating burnout through the thoughtful application of augmented intelligence technology — turning to specialized AI platforms like Eleos to streamline cumbersome administrative tasks, scale clinical and professional development and, ultimately, create a more resilient and sustainable workforce.
Just ask the staff at Trilogy. Since implementing Eleos, 90% of providers report feeling less stressed.
Eleos doesn’t just alleviate the symptoms of burnout — it addresses burnout at the source by freeing providers to focus on what they do best: providing compassionate, effective care.
For leaders in the behavioral health sector who are ready to do something about staff burnout, the time for action is now.
“What I would say to any behavioral health leader considering an AI solution is to make the leap sooner rather than later,” Joffe says. “Don’t let your providers reach their breaking point, because by then burnout and dissatisfaction will be entrenched in your culture. Take this opportunity to proactively elevate your standard of care, operational efficiency, and employee experience before it’s too late.”
This article is sponsored by Eleos. To request a personalized demo of Eleos today, visit us at eleos.health.
