On Panel Size
I am starting up my own family practice. What panel size should I expect to have in a mature practice? The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) reports that family practice physicians not doing obstetrics see a median of 4,594 ambulatory patients per year. Does that sound right to you?
Question: I am starting up my own family practice. What panel size should I expect to have in a mature practice? The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) reports that family practice physicians not doing obstetrics see a median of 4,594 ambulatory patients per year. Does that sound right to you?
Answer: To clarify, the MGMA reports 4,594 ambulatory encounters a year, not patients.
Even if you have a relatively small patient panel, if those patients are sick or you see them a lot, you can still generate many visits and many payments. What pays is seeing patients, not having them pick you as their primary care physician on their insurance forms.
That's why a panel of 2,000 elderly patients represents a much different workload than 2,000 patients in their 20s and 30s.
In short, panel size matters less than encounters and charges.
That said, a normal panel size in family practice is about 2,500. A patient on your panel is generally one you have seen in the past two years.
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