Geisinger Health System Boosts Intensive Primary Care with Innovative Panel Management Strategy

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Geisinger Health System has implemented an innovative panel management strategy using Charlson Comorbidity Health Analytics (CCHA) and Needs-Based Segmentation (NBS) tools to better match primary care resources to patient complexity. By integrating these tools into the electronic health record, Geisinger clinicians can now schedule appointment length and frequency based on each patient's clinical needs, rather than just their age. This approach has helped the health system focus limited resources, reduce variability in care, and prioritize continuity and more intensive primary care for patients who may benefit the most.

Why it matters

Determining appropriate panel sizes in primary care is challenging, as patient complexity can vary widely. By using data-driven tools to assess and segment patients by their level of ambulatory care needs, Geisinger has been able to optimize its primary care resources and ensure that patients who require more intensive services receive the care they need.

The details

Geisinger integrated the CCHA and NBS tools into its electronic health record to assign each patient a complexity score and care needs category. Clinicians then used this information to decide appropriate visit lengths and frequencies for patients. Researchers from the University of Chicago then used optimization modeling to test how these scheduling factors could inform ideal panel sizes. This allowed Geisinger to shift from scheduling based solely on patient age to a more nuanced approach focused on clinical complexity.

• Geisinger implemented the new panel management strategy across 45 primary care clinics serving over 350,000 patients.

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