Joy in Medicine ™ health system recognition program

Representing the constant commitment of the AMA to advance the science of professional exhaustion of doctors, the Joy in Medicine ™ health systems recognition program allows health systems to reduce and build well-being so that doctors and their patients can prosper.

• Provide guidelines (Pdf) For health system leaders interested in implementing programs and policies that actively support well-being.
• Unite the health care community In the construction of a culture committed to increasing joy in medicine for the profession on a national scale.
• To raise awareness Solutions that promote joy in medicine and stimulate investment in health systems to reduce the professional exhaustion of doctors.

The application cycle for the Joy in Medicine 2025 program closed on March 7. The details on the 2026 application cycle are to come.

Submit a The intention to apply Today for the 2026 request cycle. This will allow the Joy in Medicine team to stay connected with you. All organizations must subject an intention to request to have access to the request.

Organizations interested in the 2026 application cycle should display the 2025 program guidelines (PDF) To find out more about the process and demand criteria.

2025 Joy in Medicine Information Webinar

Our annual information webinar for health systems interested in applying in 2025 includes an overview of the program, 2025 program criteria, a demo of the application portal and a live question session on this year’s application cycle. Look at the webinar.

Accreditation webinar

The AMA and the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation co-organized a webinar on February 5 on the way organizations address obstacles to doctors looking for mental health care by removing invasive language and stigmatizing mental health of accreditation applications. Look at the webinar.

Meeting hours

These informal virtual hours are an opportunity to ask questions of application to the Joy in Medicine team. The deposit hours for the 2026 application cycle are to come.

Before submitting a request, health systems must meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. Organization

The Joy in Medicine program is intended for health systems with 75 or more doctors. In 2025, the eligibility requirement due to size A slightly offset and advanced practice providers (APP) were no longer included in the context of this number.

2. Structure of the organization

All requests must be submitted in the name of your organization – not individual departments, GME programs or affiliated practices within your system. Applications at the company level representing the whole of your health system are preferred. If one or more subsidiaries of a health system (for example, locations or individual regions) are interested in applying on the program, please contact our team to obtain advice on preparing your request.

3. Evaluation of the well-being of doctors

Applicants must have completed an assessment of the well-being of doctors in the past three years using one of the following validated tools:

• Organizational biopsy® (which includes the mini-z)
• Mini-z (or question of burnout with single object)
• Maslach professional exhaustion inventory
• Mayo well-being index
• Stanford professional realization index

If your organization has not yet completed a professional exhaustion assessment and you want to do so in preparation for the application cycle for next year, learn more about the organizational biopsy without cost of the AMA and How to start. If your organization is not currently eligible for the Joy in Medicine program, you can still take advantage of the many available Ama Staps Forford® Resources to help inform and adopt practice solutions that support the well-being of doctors. If you need a 1: 1 support, consider AMA advances Mentoring for impact program.

We also encourage you to engage with Charming: collaboration for healing and renewal in medicine.

Recognition is based on organizational success and efforts in six skills areas, evaluated by self-assessment and support documentation:

1. Assessment: Measuring the well-being and professional exhaustion of doctors is essential to understand and solve the problems of the system.
2. Commitment: A cross organizational commitment to the well-being of labor is essential to prevent professional exhaustion within an organization.
3. Practice environmental efficiency: Operational efficiency is essential to support well-being. The workflow and technological ineffectiveness – in addition to documentation requirements – play a central role in the conduct of the doctors’ test.
4. Teamwork: Effective teamwork can have a huge impact on the general well-being of doctors and care teams.
5. Direction: Leadership behaviors have established the basics of organizational culture, a main indicator of organizational well-being.
6. Support: Cultivating links at work is an important way to stimulate professional satisfaction.

If you have questions related to the medical system recognition program, Please contact us.