primary care

noun

: health care provided by a medical professional (such as a general practitioner, pediatrician, or nurse) with whom a patient has initial contact and by whom the patient may be referred to a specialist

—often used before another noun

a primary care physician

called also primary health care

compare secondary care, tertiary care

Examples of primary care in a Sentence

He provides primary care to inner-city patients.

Recent Examples on the Web

Schneider Children’s Medical Center and Rabin Medical Center are two of 14 hospitals operated by Clalit Health Services, the largest healthcare organization in Israel, providing day-to-day primary care, specialty care, and hospital care to over 5 million Israelis. —Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026

Ariel Gibbs, a spokesperson for Montgomery Steppe, said the primary care clinics — known as the Safety Net Bridge Program — could solve the more immediate problem of people losing their Medicaid coverage. —Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026

That's why most primary care doctors screen their patients for depression. —Mara Gordon, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026

Baylor Scott & White also has its specialty and primary care practices in the area. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for primary care

• concessionaire
• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare

Medical Definition

primary care

noun

: health care provided by a medical professional (as a general practitioner or a pediatrician) with whom a patient has initial contact and by whom the patient may be referred to a specialist for further treatment

—often used attributively

primary care physicians

primary care practice

primary care medicine

called also primary health care

compare secondary care, tertiary care