The Value of Primary Care
Invest now. Save in the future.
There is abundant evidence that family physicians — the most common provider of primary care in the United States — deliver the kind of care that produces results people and policymakers want. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), "State leaders have a growing interest in using their legislative and regulatory authority to measure and report on primary care spend and, in some cases, to set targets for increasing investment in primary care over the coming years within their jurisdictions. This focus on primary care investment suggests policymakers have some momentum to shift the U.S. health delivery system back to its primary care foundation, so that it can better address diverse patient needs across different age and sociodemographic groups."
Research also shows that when states invest in primary care now, they save on health care spending in the future.
Family medicine and physician-led primary care are associated with:
- Better health outcomes
- Lower costs
- Lower mortality
- Increases in health equity & equity of access
- Fewer heart disease and cancer deaths
- Reduced low birthweight and infant mortality
- Longer life expectancy
- Fewer Emergency Department visits
- Fewer hospital admissions and readmissions
- Increased workforce participation
- Decreased workforce absenteeism
- Improved workforce productivity
- Improved mental health outcomes
- Greater medication/prescription adherence
- Increased vaccinations/immunizations
- Increased preventative screenings
Resources:
Primary Care Collaborative
Primary Care Investment Hub
Robert Graham Center
Maps, Data and Tools
PCC 2022 Evidence Report: Relationships Matter - Open Report
Medical School Impact on the Primary Care Physician Shortage in Pennsylvania (Joint State Government Commission, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2021) - Open Report
Primary Care Spending: High Stakes, Low Investment (Primary Care Collaborative, 2020) - Open Report
Building the Economic Case for Primary Health Care: A Scoping Review (World Health Organization, 2018) - Open Report
The Importance of Primary Care (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2023) – PDF
Groundbreaking Study Links Higher Primary Care Spending to Better Care Quality in California - Open Report
Primary Care in the United States: A Chartbook of Facts and Statistics - Open Report
Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health. State-Level Projections of Supply and Demand for Primary Care Practitioners: 2013-2025 - Open Report
Additional References:
[i] https://www.pcpcc.org/resource/estimated-effect-life-expectancy-alleviating-primary-care-shortages-united-states
[ii] https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/delivering-value-healthcare-starts-increased-primary-care-investment
[iii] https://www.aafp.org/dam/rgc/documents/publications-reports/reports/Investing-Primary-Care-State-Level-PCMH-Report.pdf
[iv] https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/data-research/primary-care-state-projections2013-2025.pdf
