A Smarter Way to Staff: The Methodology Behind TeamBuilder

Executive Summary

Staffing challenges in ambulatory care aren’t just about workforce shortages — they’re about matching the right resources to the real work required. Traditional approaches rely on outdated methods: ratios, gut feel, or spreadsheets that don’t account for differences across specialties, sites, or daily workloads.

This newsletter introduces the methodology behind TeamBuilder: a demand-based, predictive approach to staff scheduling that uses real data to drive smarter, more effective staffing decisions.

The Problem with Traditional Staffing Approaches

Common staffing methods fall short in ambulatory settings because they:

• Assume demand is constant, when in reality it fluctuates by hour, day, and site.
• Apply the same staffing model across specialties with very different visit and non-visit work.
• Lack a feedback loop to assess whether staffing decisions are working.

Some teams are underwater, others have capacity — and leaders are left flying blind.

Why Activity-Based Matters

Our methodology starts with a simple premise: staffing should reflect the work being done.

That includes visit volume, yes — but also documentation, patient messages, pre-visit planning, and post-visit work. This type of activity-based staffing gives leaders a way to:

• Understand true workload by specialty, clinic, and provider.
• Compare needs across sites — not just based on headcount but based on the effort required.
• Build schedules that flex with demand, rather than holding to static templates.

Predictive, Not Reactive

The TeamBuilder model is predictive — using past data to forecast future needs and surface key gaps in staffing before they affect performance.

Instead of scrambling to fill last-minute holes or relying on generic FTE grids, leaders can:

• Anticipate where support is needed (and when).
• Right-size float pools or shared staff based on forecasted demand.
• Shift from reactive to strategic deployment of staff.

A Smarter Framework for Ambulatory Staffing

The TeamBuilder methodology combines three core elements:

The Bottom Line

In today’s ambulatory environment, staffing based on visit volume alone is no longer enough. A smarter methodology — one rooted in how care is actually delivered — is essential.

With predictive, activity-based modeling, health systems can finally bring strategy and insight to one of the most important levers for cost, access, and patient experience: how staff are scheduled.