primary care

American  

noun

1. medical care by a physician, or other healthcare professional, who is the patient's first contact with the healthcare system and who may recommend a specialist if necessary.

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Other Word Forms

• primary-care
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of primary care

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

primary care

A growing number of primary care doctors say they are finding a way back to an unhurried model of patient care.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

Imagine a system where preventive care is covered at little or no cost, and primary care and essential medications have affordable and predictable copays.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Kutnerian also hopes to add a federally qualified health center that would receive federal funds to provide primary care at reduced rates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

For a typical patient roster, recommended preventive care alone would take a primary care doctor more than 14 hours a day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

We’ve had people come in saying they want to sue some specialist, and we’ll say, ‘We don’t think that doctor was negligent. We think it’s your primary care doctor who was at fault.’

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell