# How close is your panel to full?

> Enter examiners, weekly slots, referrals, and no-shows. See utilization, capacity against demand, and when the backlog starts.

Source: https://imecore.com/tools/panel-utilization-planner

This tool runs entirely in the browser. Nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.

## How to use it

1. **Enter the panel.** How many examiners are active, and how many exam slots each one offers per week.
2. **Add demand and no-shows.** Monthly referrals in, and the no-show rate that takes slots away.
3. **Read utilization.** Demand divided by effective capacity. Over 100 percent means the backlog grows.
4. **Check the lever list.** See how many extra files one more examiner would clear each month at the same slots.

## Why utilization matters before wait times do

A panel can look fine until it is not. Referrals rise by ten percent, a no-show rate ticks up, and suddenly the wait to book stretches by weeks. Utilization tells you how close you are to that edge. Above 85 percent there is no slack for sick days or a surge. Above 100 percent the backlog grows every month.

## What 6.5 hours does and does not tell you

The SEAK 2024 survey of more than 325 providers found about 6.5 hours of total examiner time per IME across review, examination, and report. That figure prices the work. It does not set the capacity. Capacity is slots per week, because an examiner has a fixed number of appointment hours. Use hours to set fees and slots to set throughput.

## How to use the lever list

Adding one examiner at four slots a week clears about 16 files a month, less after no-shows. That one line tells you whether recruiting closes the gap or whether you also need to change the no-show rate, the slot count, or the turnaround promise. A small change in no-shows often beats a large change in panel size.

## Questions people ask

### What counts as utilization in this tool?

Monthly referrals divided by effective monthly capacity, where effective capacity is gross capacity minus no-shows. Gross capacity is examiners times slots per week times 52 divided by 12.

### When does the backlog start?

The first month where demand exceeds effective capacity. If demand stays below capacity, there is no backlog at the current volume.

### Why is no-show rate in a capacity planner?

Because a no-show wastes a slot you cannot reuse that week. A panel at 90 percent utilization with an 8 percent no-show rate is tighter than it looks.

### Does this book appointments?

No. It plans capacity. It does not schedule patients or examiners.