KLAS: Leadership Misalignment, Poor EHRs Drive Clinician Exits

Overview

• The Dec. 3 KLAS Arch Collaborative report analyzing surveys from 40 organizations names dissatisfaction with organizational leadership as the leading non-personal reason clinicians plan to leave.
• At-risk physicians citing leadership misalignment posted an average Net EHR Experience Score of 7.7 on a -100 to 100 scale, underscoring the tight link between EHR usability and trust in administration.
• EHR satisfaction strongly predicts intent: clinicians planning to stay average 32.7 versus -14.7 among those planning to leave healthcare, with a widening divide measured since 2024.
• Targeted fixes are changing minds: of 288 clinicians who reversed plans to depart, 73% credited EHR improvements such as faster logins, macros, quick text, ambient speech and better communication tools, paired with ongoing education and support.
• Turnover remains costly and destabilizing, with replacement estimates of about $52,350 per nurse and up to $1,000,000 per physician, as many clinicians report exclusion from EHR decisions and punitive uses of EHR data.