Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/717576
82 CMO / CARE DELIVERY How Many Patients is Too Many? Study Debunks Industry Standard By Emily Rappleye T he number of patients a primary care physician treats — also known as their panel size — deter- mines patient access, physician workload and ultimately, quality of care. While the industry standard primary care panel size is considered to be 2,500 patients, a group of researchers found this number neither accurate nor reasonable. The researchers traced this commonly accepted stan- dard back to an article published by Catherine Tantau and Mark Murray, MD, in Family Practice Management in 2000 that speculated 2,500 patients was a reasonable upper range for a panel. However, the analysis found this estimate was just that — speculation. It was not based on data or actual panel sizes. Based on a review of studies on practice settings in the U.S. and abroad, the researchers determined the average actual panel size ranges from 1,200 to 1,900 patients per physician. "Whether these are small enough to allow for optimal productivity, quality of care, and physician and patient satisfaction is unknown," the researchers wrote in their analysis, which was published by the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. In boutique or con- cierge practices, which offer patients more personal time with physicians, the panel size is roughly 900 to 1,000 pa- tients, according to the report. But could physicians feasibly take on more patients to reach the "standard" 2,500-patient panel? According to the analy- sis, no. The researchers suggested it would be nearly impos- sible to handle a panel size of 2,500 patients — a physician would have to work 21.7 hours per day to deliver compre- hensive, quality care to a panel of that size. n 72. Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital (Alexandria) 73. Dublin (Ohio) Methodist Hospital 74. Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester (Minn.) 75. St. Luke's Regional Medical Center (Boise, Idaho) 76. Surgical Hospital at Southwoods (Youngstown, Ohio) 77. Fairview Hospital (Cleveland) 78. St. Joseph's Hospital (Breese, Ill.) 79. Schneck Medical Center (Seymour, Ind.) 80. Institute for Orthopaedic Surgery (Lima, Ohio) 81. Baylor Medical Center at Upton (Dallas) 82. St. David's Medical Center (Austin, Texas) 83. Avera Queen of Peace (Mitchell, S.D.) 84. UnityPoint Health - Meriter (Madison, Wis.) 85. Texas Spine and Joint Hospital (Tyler) 86. Methodist Hospital of Southern California (Arcadia) 87. McBride Clinic Orthopedic Hospital (Oklahoma City) 88. Kansas Heart Hospital (Wichita) 89. Citizens Medical Center (Victoria, Texas) 90. GHS Greer (S.C.) Memorial Hospital 91. Avera St. Luke's (Aberdeen, S.D.) 92. St. Mary's Hospital (Madison, Wis.) 93. Oklahoma Surgical Hospital (Tulsa) 94. North Carolina Specialty Hospital (Durham) 95. Holland (Mich.) Community Hospital 96. Santa Barbara (Calif.) Cottage Hospital 97. Oklahoma Heart Hospital (Oklahoma City) 98. Shawnee Mission (Kan.) Medical Center 99. Mosaic Life Care at St. Joseph (Mo.) 100. South County Hospital (Wakefield, R.I.) 101. St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea (Mich.) 102. Oakleaf Surgical Hospital (Altoona, Wis.) n Sell Your Surplus Surgical Inventory to eSutures.com Contact us today to get started! 888-416-2409 • info@esutures.com In only a few days, you can turn excess inventory into usable capital with our streamlined and simple process. For more information, or to begin the bid process, please call 888-416-2409 or email info@esutures.com. Don't let your extra product inventory go to waste! eSutures.com is interested in purchasing your in-date, short-dated and expired products in full selling units, open boxes and even individual, loose units. WE CAN PURCHASE: • Ethicon Suture • Ethicon Endosurgery • Covidien Suture • Covidien Endosurgery • Synthes • Arthrex • Bard • Gore • Masimo • Applied Medical and more!