Summarized Section-by-Section Breakdown: How Each Part Helps Address Regulatory Burden
Introduction

Many administrative burdens stem from misinterpretations or overinterpretations of regulations. Sets up the purpose of the playbook: clarify what is truly required, correct myths, and provide practical strategies to reduce unnecessary work.

How Will This Playbook Help Me?

This playbook helps by:

• Identifying misunderstandings of regulations
• Providing strategies to cut down on unnecessary documentation and tasks
• Assisting care teams and leaders in understanding what is truly needed

Who Is This Playbook For?

• Clinicians
• Organizational leaders
• Operations managers

The Regulatory Challenge in Health Care

Describes:

• The extremely high regulatory environment in health care
• How internal policies often add unnecessary steps beyond true regulations
• How outdated or misapplied policies create workload, cognitive load, and safety risks

This sets the foundation for the need to question and redesign processes.

Debunking Regulatory Myths

Explains the AMA’s myth-busting series:

• Identifies misunderstood regulations
• Provides evidence-backed clarifications
• Reduces “regulatory guesswork”
• Helps organizations confidently remove unnecessary requirements

This section supports the “Stop This” strategy.

Show Me the Regulation!

Promotes a core practice:

Always ask to see the actual regulation.

Helps teams:

• Identify when “requirements” are not real
• Challenge outdated interpretations
• Build shared understanding and safer workflows

Strategy 1: Stop This

Focus: De-implement unnecessary tasks.

Key examples:

• Stop unnecessary EHR authentication steps (no regulation requires it for non-controlled meds)
• Stop routing all test results to PCPs (not required by any agency)
• Stop sending “thank you” portal messages to physicians
• Stop documenting vitals or data not clinically needed
• Stop routing ADT notifications directly to physician inboxes
• Stop asking mental-health-history questions in credentialing (discouraged by Joint Commission and FSMB)

This strategy directly reduces workload, clicks, inbox burden, and cognitive load.

Strategy 2: Start That

Focus: Implement changes that streamline work based on true regulatory flexibility.

Examples include:

• Start prescribing chronic meds for the maximum allowable duration
• Start extending EHR automatic logout times appropriately
• Start simplifying documentation using updated E/M rules
• Start billing for both preventive and problem-based care in the same visit
• Start using team-based documentation and order entry

These changes increase efficiency, reduce physician burden, and empower staff.

Strategy 3: Leverage the Business Case for Change

Shows how reducing administrative burden:

• Saves time and money
• Decreases burnout
• Improves patient satisfaction
• Supports retention

Includes calculators to estimate savings and burnout costs.
Equips leaders with financial justification for workflow changes.

Strategy 4: Share and Celebrate Success Stories

Encourages:

• Highlighting successful changes internally and externally
• Motivating culture change
• Reinforcing progress
• Providing real-world models (Kaiser Permanente, Atrius Health, Crusader Health)

Success stories demonstrate measurable reductions in burden and inspire replication.

Putting the Strategies Into Action

Provides a 6‑phase process organizations can follow:

1. Create a diverse work group
2. Identify unnecessary burdens
3. Prioritize ideas
4. Clarify regulatory sources
5. Implement changes
6. Measure impact and share results

This is the operational blueprint for reducing regulatory burden.

Hopkins K, Carlasare L, Brown M, et al. “Reducing Regulatory Burden Playbook.” AMA STEPS Forward. 11 June 2024. https://edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/module/2820184.