WASHINGTON, DC – October 31, 2025 — The American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) is proud to announce the release of a new book, Core Versus Chore: Using Human-Centered Design to Solve Burnout and Inefficiency in Healthcare.
Written by physician leader and healthcare executive Grace E. Terrell, MD, MMM, FACP, FACPE, this practical and transformative guide addresses healthcare's most persistent challenges by separating what truly matters — the core mission of patient care — from the administrative and technological chores that burden clinical teams and drive burnout.
Through battle-tested methodology refined across diverse medical groups, health systems, and national policy work, Terrell — a practicing general internist for more than thirty years and serial entrepreneur in healthcare innovation — delivers a revolutionary framework for healthcare leaders navigating rapid technological change, particularly AI integration. The book provides validation and practical guidance for physicians transitioning into leadership, healthcare administrators, clinical practice managers, and health system executives who seek sustainable solutions to workflow inefficiencies while maintaining quality care. Readers will find actionable strategies to evaluate new technologies effectively, redesign processes that improve outcomes, and transform the pace of change from their biggest challenge into their competitive advantage.
Table of Contents Highlights:
Part One: Reimagine the Chores to Fortify the Core
Chapter 3: Requirements for Fixing Healthcare Delivery
Chapter 9: Designing the Well-Functioning Clinical Team
Chapter 12: Identify the Chores
Chapter 15: The Purpose of Clinical Documentation and Its Devolution
Chapter 19: Reclaiming the Core
Part Two: Human-Centered Design Will Improve Healthcare
Chapter 20: Human-Centered Design: Building Systems That Heal, Not Harm
Chapter 25: It’s Moral Injury, not Burnout
Chapter 27: Redesigning Healthcare’s Financial Engine: Solving the Hidden Drivers of Dysfunction
Chapter 30: Rethinking the Healthcare Team: Beyond the Lone Physician
Chapter 33: Population Health and the Rubik’s Cube: A Framework for Human-Centered Redesign
As healthcare continues its rapid technological transformation, supporting physician leaders with frameworks that turn disruption into sustainable advantage has never been more crucial. Discover proven strategies, expert guidance, and practical tools with Core Versus Chore: Using Human-Centered Design to Solve Burnout and Inefficiency in Healthcare.
About the Author: Grace E. Terrell, MD, MMM, FACP, FACPE, is a national thought leader in healthcare innovation and delivery system reform. As chief medical officer at IKS Health, she designs simple solutions for complex healthcare problems using the "core vs chore" framework. Terrell has served as CEO of several companies, including Cornerstone Health Care, one of the first medical groups to successfully transition to value-based care. Terrell is the author of several books, including Value-Based Healthcare and Payment Models and Strategies for Recognizing and Eliminating Gender Bias for Healthcare Leaders.
About the American Association for Physician Leadership
The core philosophy of the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) is that leadership is learned. AAPL is focused on the personal transformation of all physicians, and through them the organizations they serve. With the goal of improving patient outcomes, workforce wellness, and a refinement of all healthcare delivery, AAPL has remained the only association solely focused on providing professional development, leadership education, and management training exclusively for physicians. Since its founding in 1975, AAPL has educated more than 250,000 physicians across 35 countries—including CEOs, chief medical officers, and physicians at all levels of healthcare. www.physicianleaders.org