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

Derived Forms

• primary-care
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of primary care

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

But co-pays are higher for bronze plans — $60 for primary care visits versus $50 for silver plan visits.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

The work was carried out in more than 100 primary care centers within Spain's National Health System.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

The Welsh government said it was considering other arrangements in the future, including primary care, and further decisions about the deployment of weight loss medicines will be made as the new clinical pathway develops.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

In November, a new primary care doctor told Glannan her heart sounded like “a bunch of galloping horses,” Glannan recalled.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 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