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

As part of that strategy, Walgreens invested billions of dollars into primary care provider VillageMD, with plans to put Village Medical clinics in 1,000 of its stores by 2027. —Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025

People who have these symptoms should bring them up with their primary care provider, who can perform an assessment that could include spirometry testing. —Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025

The details: Plan to consult with your primary care provider about accessing a COVID vaccine this fall off-label, Jetelina says. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2025

Christmas recommends bringing your test results to your primary care physician rather than risking an injury. —Sydney Wingfield, Health, 26 Aug. 2025

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