Establishing Patient Panels in Primary Care: How and How Big

Resource: Facilitating Panel Management (PDF, 1 MB, 32, including 19 pages of appendices with training exercises, and sample policies and procedures pages)

Part of an AHRQ curriculum used to train practice facilitators, this resource explains the basics of implementing panel management, whereby patients are assigned to care teams that take responsibility for ensuring patients receive care that is consistent with current evidence. Although addressed to practice facilitators, this resource contains valuable information for practices working to improve quality on their own. In support of the empanelment change strategy in Key Driver 4: Create and support high functioning teams to deliver high-quality evidence-based care, this resource addresses:

• What Is Panel Management?
• Why Is Panel Management Important?
• Does Panel Size Matter?
• How Large Should a Panel Be?
• What Variables Affect Panel Size?
• How Do You Assign Patients to Panels?
• What Policies and Procedures Are Needed?
• How Does a Practice Monitor Empanelment?

Institution of origin: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Author(s): Knox L, Brach C

Acknowledgements: This document is part of AHRQ’s Primary Care Practice Facilitation Curriculum, available at: https://www.ahrq.gov/ncepcr/tools/transform-qi/deliver-facilitation/curriculum/index.html.

Publication date: September 2015