DMD #70 | Overcoming Burnout: Dr. Amy Fogelman's Journey from Primary Care to Expert Witness and Physician Advocacy

Dr. Amy Fogelman, MD, a former internal medicine physician from Boston, joins Dr. Peter Crane to discuss her career trajectory from a high-volume primary care practice at Mass General to founding High Rock Experts in 2018. With over a decade in clinical medicine, she opens up about burnout exacerbated by long commutes, administrative overload, and loss of joy in patient care. The conversation explores her decision to leave clinical practice after her husband's encouragement, her six-month break for self-reflection, and networking with non-clinical physicians. Dr. Fogelman highlights the value of expert witness work for leveraging medical expertise, the importance of ethical reviews in malpractice cases, and systemic issues in healthcare like prior authorizations and shrinking reimbursements. She offers practical advice on finding fulfillment, reclaiming autonomy, and addressing physician suicide risks. This episode equips physicians at all stages with strategies for navigating burnout, exploring alternative careers, and advocating for systemic change, while emphasizing the enduring empathy in the medical workforce.Episode HighlightsAmy's background: Growing up in Boston, training in internal medicine, and practicing primary care at Mass General for a decade before shifting to a smaller practice.Journey into burnout: Starting part-time with extra projects like opioid policies and teaching, but facing increasing administrative burdens, long commutes, and emotional strain at home.The turning point: A Boston Globe article on physicians quitting medicine, prompted by a former patient, leading Amy to share her hidden struggles publicly and resonate with many.Leaving clinical practice: Husband's intervention, a six-month break, coaching, and networking with non-clinical physicians like Graham Gardner, realizing no additional degrees were needed.Discovering expert witness work: Transitioning from ad-hoc reviews to founding High Rock Experts, connecting attorneys with medical professionals, and creating courses on ethical expert testimony.Challenges in medicine: Administrative overhead, insurance battles, short visit times, and loss of patient trust; the need for physicians to reclaim control from administrators.Systemic fixes: Eliminating prior authorizations (as in Massachusetts), transparent visit lengths for patients, avoiding incentive-based metrics that penalize complex cases, and exploring direct primary care.Advice for physicians: Recognize you're not stuck—seek non-clinical options, prioritize joy, and use broad medical training for entrepreneurship; permission to step back and pivot.Ethical expert work: Explaining medicine objectively to courts, preventing frivolous lawsuits, and ensuring credible experts review cases to protect both patients and providers.Hope for the future: Valuing empathetic physicians, reducing bureaucracy, and voting with feet through career shifts to force systemic improvements.Top 3 TakeawaysBurnout often stems from administrative burdens and loss of control; pivoting to non-clinical roles like expert witness work can restore joy and leverage medical expertise without additional degrees.Physicians aren't stuck—network, reflect on what brings fulfillment, and explore options like direct primary care or entrepreneurship; seek permission from loved ones or coaches to step back.Systemic change requires reclaiming physician autonomy, eliminating prior authorizations, and avoiding metrics that incentivize firing "noncompliant" patients; ethical expert work helps maintain integrity in malpractice cases.About Dr. Amy FogelmanDr. Amy Fogelman is an MD and former primary care physician with over a decade of experience at Mass General and a private practice in Chestnut Hill, Boston. After battling burnout, she founded High Rock Experts in 2018, a company that connects medical professionals with attorneys for expert witness roles and offers courses on ethical testimony. Her work focuses on empowering physicians through non-clinical careers, integrity in legal-medical intersections, and advocacy for better healthcare systems. She has been featured in the Boston Globe for her insights on physician burnout.LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amyfogelmanmd About the Host:Dr. Peter Crane is a board-certified physician, educator, and storyteller with a heart for service and a calling to spotlight doctors who make a difference—in their communities, in medicine, and in the lives they touch.Through Doctors Making a Difference, he brings you into intimate conversations with physicians who have overcome challenges, redefined success, and found purpose in and beyond the clinic. His goal is simple: to help more doctors stay in medicine by showing them what's possible.About the Show:Doctors Making a Difference is more than a podcast—it’s a movement to highlight the good, the gritty, and the deeply human side of medicine.In every episode, Dr. Peter Crane interviews physicians whose stories defy the script. From burnout recovery to bold career pivots, health challenges to quiet leadership, this show honors the truth that healing begins with connection—and doctors, too, deserve to be whole.Visit: doctorsmakingadifference.comLMC Series Note:Living with Metastatic Cancer (LMC) explores the science, decisions, and day-to-day realities of life with advanced disease—through candid physician–patient conversations. The Doctors Making a Difference Podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for medical, legal, or professional advice. Always consult appropriate experts regarding your unique circumstances. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. 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