Physician and Practice Characteristics Associated with Family Physician Panel Size

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Research
• Health Workforce Studies
• Physician Practice Management

Background:

• Understanding primary care panel sizes is critical for addressing physician shortages and burnout in the US.
• Policy makers and workforce planners require data on factors influencing primary care panel size variation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate physician and practice characteristics associated with variations in primary care panel size.
• To identify key factors influencing the number of patients managed by family physicians.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) Continuing Certification Questionnaire (2017-2023).
• Inclusion of nationally representative data from 21,770 family physicians (FPs).
• Utilized bivariate analyses and generalized linear models to examine associations between panel size and physician/practice factors.

Main Results:

• Average panel size was 1,933 patients per FP.
• Independent practice FPs had the largest panels; academic and federal clinic FPs had the smallest.
• FPs in practices of 2-5 physicians had larger panels than solo or larger groups.
• Providing obstetric/inpatient care and working with advanced practitioners were associated with panel size differences.
• Higher proportions of vulnerable patients correlated with smaller panel sizes.
• Panel size decreased over time.

Conclusions:

• Significant variation exists in family physician panel sizes, influenced by practice type, size, team composition, and scope of practice.
• Findings underscore the need to consider individual and practice-level factors in workforce planning.
• Optimizing primary care delivery and managing physician workload requires a nuanced approach to panel size management.