Family Medicine Panel Size with Care Teams: Impact on Quality

Article Figures & Data

Download figure
Open in new tab
Figure 1.
Effect of adjusted panel size on third appointment availability (days), controlling for patient complexity (P < .01).
Download figure
Open in new tab
Figure 2.
Effect of adjusted panel size on physician quality ranking, controlling for patient complexity (P = .03).
Download figure
Open in new tab
Figure 3.
Effect of adjusted panel size on patient satisfaction, controlling for patient complexity (P = .42).
Download figure
Open in new tab
Figure 4.
Effect of adjusted panel size on percentage daily fill rate, controlling for patient complexity (P = .06).
Download figure
Open in new tab
Figure 5.
Effect of adjusted panel size on cost ranking, controlling for patient complexity (P = .24).

Table 1.

Variables (Means) among Departmental Family Physicians

Variables	Physicians (N = 36)
Panel size
Nonadjusted	1396 (768–1921)
Adjusted for full-time equivalent	2959 (1876–4828)
Percentage of time spent in outpatient clinic	49.25 (26.0–79.0)
Panel complexity score	0.818 (0.610–1.130)
Patient satisfaction (% selecting top box)	92.0 (65.2–100.0)
Third available appointment (days)	19 (1–63)
Appointment fill rate (%)	93.3 (79.0–98.0)

Table 2.

Odds Ratio of Outcomes for Patient Satisfaction, Quality, Access, and Cost, by Panel Size

N = 36	Odds Ratio	95% CI	P Value
Adverse outcomes^*
Patient satisfaction, ≤25th percentile	1.61	0.28–9.25	.07
Quality rankings, ≤25th percentile	7.61	1.13–51.46	.04
Third available appointment, >75th percentile	10.91	1.36–87.26	.03
Cost rankings, >75th percentile	0.23	0.04–1.31	.10
Daily fill rate, ≤25th percentile	0.48	0.11–2.20	.35
Positive outcomes^{^†}
Patient satisfaction, >75th percentile	0.29	0.03–2.99	.30
Quality rankings, >75th percentile	3.56	0.69–18.47	.13
Third available appointment, ≤25th percentile	3.59	0.69–18.68	.13
Cost rankings, ≤25th percentile	1.75	0.33–9.17	.51
Daily fill rate, >75th percentile	0.00	0.00–0.00	.10