The emotional fallout from an adverse patient outcome—including distress, career fears, and the stress of investigations—can be devastating for physicians and healthcare staff. Recognizing this profound need, Sutter Health has built tiered peer support programs designed to help clinicians and employees heal, a strategy highlighted at the 2025 American Conference on Physician Health. Peer support is a key pillar of the AMA Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program, which empowers health systems to reduce burnout and build well-being.
The Need: Filling a 'Palpable' Lack of Support
Historically, support for health professionals after an unexpected or adverse event was almost non-existent. Dr. Laurie Gregg, an OB-GYN and Chief Wellness Officer for Sutter Independent Physicians, noted that just as a professional began to recover, the stress of peer review, medical board inquiries, or lawsuits would often 'reopen the wound.' Dr. Marie Boller, a maternal-fetal medicine fellow, realized early on that she needed to talk about these events to make the profession sustainable for her. This demonstrates the critical importance of organized support in navigating the trauma and long-term consequences of medical error or tragic outcomes.
Sutter Health’s Layered Peer Support Model
Sutter Health deliberately developed layered programs to address different needs across its extensive system, which covers 23 hospitals and over 72,000 personnel. The programs operate on three distinct levels:
- Hospital-Level Support (Local): Dr. Gregg's initiative provides immediate, on-site support for physicians and nurses. She emphasizes that local programs work best because they understand the 'culture' of that specific workplace, offering refuge and comfort after a high-stress event.
- Systemwide Support (Broad): Recognizing that 'everyone needed peer support' during the pandemic, Dr. Jill Kacher Cobb, Sutter Health's Chief Wellness Officer, and her colleagues broadened the program. This centralized system was crucial for filling resource gaps at smaller and rural hospitals and ensures support for all roles.
- National-Level Support (Specialty-Specific): A national OB-GYN program, now housed within the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG), provides anonymity and impartiality. This allows a physician to talk with a colleague who 'understands but is not so closely connected to the event or the environment.'
Overcoming Barriers to Implementation
Building these programs required persistence, but Dr. Gregg noted that it did not demand a significant investment in time or resources. She leveraged California’s section 1157 to protect the confidentiality of medical peer review, providing a legal foundation for the support program. Dr. Kacher Cobb found that demand for their volunteer-based program was high. The national OB-GYN program started small with a Gmail address until its grassroots success led ACOG to formally adopt the initiative. A crucial element at every level is consistent training and quarterly debriefs for peer supporters, acknowledging that the healers themselves need support.
The clear message from the program leaders to any organization considering peer support was simple: 'If you haven’t got a peer support system yet, please implement it. Just do it.' They stressed that success requires only 'one passionate person to start it' and that organizations can easily adapt existing models rather than building entirely new systems from scratch.
AMA Resources for Wellness and Peer Support
Institutions can leverage tools from the AMA STEPS Forward® initiative to implement their own programs. These open-access resources offer innovative strategies to help physicians and their staff thrive in the healthcare environment:
- Preventing Burnout: Resources focused on identifying and mitigating systemic causes of physician burnout.
- Creating the Organizational Foundation for Joy in Medicine: Guidance on structuring the workplace to prioritize well-being.
- Improving Practice Efficiency: Tools to streamline administrative burdens and workflow, freeing up time for patient care and personal wellness.
The AMA continues its work as the leader in physician well-being, providing these real-world solutions to help doctors rediscover the Joy in Medicine®.
Source: American Medical Association | October 28, 2025