1. Identifying Optimal Panel Size for Primary Care Physicians
Methods to adjust panel size for patient and practice variables

2. What is panel size?
A patient panel is a group of patients for whom one specific physician or clinical team is primarily responsible.
Panel size has effects on:
care quality
patient and physician satisfaction
access

3. Five steps to optimize panel size for primary care physicians
Identify your patient population
Choose the method for determining an optimized panel size
Adjust panel size based on patient and practice variables
Modify clinician panel sizes
Monitor and maintain panel sizes

4. Benefits Associated with Setting Up Appropriately Sized Panels
Appropriately sized panels will:
Prevent under-utilization of physician skills and unnecessary limited access for patients of over-empaneled practices
Decrease stress on physicians and care teams of over- empaneled practices
Facilitate equitable compensation within organizations moving away from a production model of payment
Develop sustainable models of primary care to reduce physician burnout

5. Metrics to Begin Defining Optimal Panel Size
Define the look-back period (the duration of the patient’s care in the practice)
Determine the number of qualifying visits
Attribute the patient to a specific physician
Establish the frequency of panel size assessment

6. Methods That Estimate Optimal Panel Size
Description
Visit-Based Method
Based on the office visit capacity (supply) being equal to the panel size (demand)
Time-Based Method
Estimates the overall physician work effort required to deliver comprehensive care (total hours to provide patient care)
Normative Benchmarking
Uses existing panel sizes in different healthcare setting as benchmarks

8. Indicators to Modify Panel Size
Proxy indicators of sub-optimal panel size:
Burnout scores
Less than full-time effort
Physicians decreasing their clinic time
Total time spent in the EHR
After hours documentation including weekends and vacation
Chart closure rates

9. For additional resources, frequently asked questions and implementation support, visit stepsforward.org