Clinician burnout driven by documentation burden is no longer an abstract risk; it is an operational threat to access, quality and workforce stability.

The University of Vermont Health, the largest health system in Vermont, faced rising burnout rates and mounting frustration tied to EHR documentation. Serving a largely rural population across primary and specialty care, leaders needed a solution that improved clinician well-being without forcing productivity mandates or compromising training.

This KLAS Arch Collaborative case study details how UVM Health approached ambient documentation through a clinician-led, data-driven rollout. After a vendor-neutral pilot, the organization scaled the technology across primary care, specialty practices and residency programs, guided by provider governance and continuous measurement.

Within four months, self-reported burnout dropped from 69% to 24%. Clinicians described a renewed ability to be fully present with patients, while visit volumes increased organically without top-down mandates. Governance remained clinician-led, with ongoing measurement using EHR data, surveys and patient feedback to sustain gains.

The study offers health system leaders a practical, evidence-based example of how addressing clinician experience can translate into measurable improvements across the organization.

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