Reimagining Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Forms—From Pen & Paper to Electronic Health Record (EHR) Integration

Abstract

Background

Completion of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) paperwork is a necessary but time-intensive task that contributes to clinician administrative burden.

Objectives

This study aimed to implement and evaluate an electronic health record (EHR)-integrated FMLA tool designed to reduce documentation time and improve workflow efficiency.

Methods

An EHR-embedded FMLA form was deployed at a large academic medical center, piloted in July 2024 in primary care, and expanded to all ambulatory practices in September 2024. The tool enabled clinicians to complete and transmit FMLA documentation electronically, with auto-population of clinician details and the ability to recall prior submissions. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed clinician-reported efficiency and time burden, and form utilization was tracked using EHR query tools.

Results

A total of 67 clinicians completed a pre-survey (response rate: 19.4%) and 49 completed a post-survey (response rate: 25.4%). About 94% of clinicians using the EHR form (n = 31/33) reported time savings. On a 5-point Likert scale, efficiency improved for initial FMLA completion (2.46–3.06, p = 0.01) and renewal of prior FMLA (2.66–3.31, p = 0.01). The percentage of clinicians completing FMLA in 15 minutes or less increased from 51 to 78% (p = 0.002). The form was used 435 times over 9 months, primarily in primary care, with sustained monthly usage.

Conclusion

An EHR-integrated FMLA tool improved clinician-reported efficiency and reduced time spent on documentation. This model may be applicable to other manual administrative workflows and offers a potential strategy to mitigate provider burnout.

Keywords

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) - burnout - electronic health record (EHR) - automation - workflow

Protection of Human and Animal Subjects

This project was reviewed by the institution's quality improvement oversight committee and was formally designated as a quality improvement initiative. As such, it did not require Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight.

Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 28. Juli 2025

Angenommen: 03. November 2025

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
21. November 2025

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