Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] Maintaining meaningful relationships between patients and physicians is the foundation of primary care. A patient panel is a group of patients assigned to one specific physician or clinical team. The team is dedicated to the care of those within that panel. The ability of a physician to build and sustain these meaningful relationships depends on their panel size. But what is the right panel size for a primary care physician (PCP)? How many patients can a family physician, pediatrician, or internist manage while still providing sufficient same-day access for their patients' acute needs, planned care appointments for chronic care and prevention, and between-visit care and population management? How does a practice manage access for both new and established patients while also ensuring asynchronous access to care, such as after-hours care, email follow-up, and communication through online patient portals? There is not yet an exact science for determining the ideal patient panel size; in the meantime, this toolkit presents current panel size determination and optimization approaches. [To read more, click View Resource.]
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Health Organizations: Improving Workload & Workflows (Safe & Appropriate Staffing).
