Dividing your service area into territories (or zones) helps with drive time and fairness. Done wrong, some clinicians get all the long drives and others are packed into one zip code.
How to divide geography
By zip code, county, or natural boundaries (highway, river). Balance volume and drive time: you want each territory to have a similar number of visits. Apply visit scheduling best practices within each zone so capacity and geography work together. When you add clinicians, you can split a territory or reassign. Review at least annually,referral patterns change.
Making it stick
Assign patients to a territory when they’re admitted. Schedule from within that territory first. If you’re short in one area, you can cross over, but don’t make it the default or drive time explodes. Review territories at least annually,referral patterns and staff turnover change the picture. We have a territory planning worksheet you can download: how to map your area and balance the load. Use the button below to get it.