Primary Care Tied to 54% Lower Costs for Chronic Disease: New Data

New data from the 2026 Primary Care Scorecard highlight measurable associations between regular primary care access and improved outcomes for patients with chronic disease.

In the interview, Morgan McDonald, MD, National Director for Population Health at the Milbank Memorial Fund and practicing primary care internist and pediatrician, outlined key findings relevant to frontline clinicians.

Among adults with chronic disease, having a usual source of care was associated with:

• 20% lower hospitalization rates
• 54% lower total cost of care

For children with chronic disease, reductions in emergency department visits and hospitalizations for ambulatory care–sensitive conditions—such as pneumonia and otitis media—were “cut roughly in half.”

The report also reinforces primary care’s role in prevention. Nearly all adults with a usual source of care received preventive services for conditions such as cardiovascular disease and common cancers, compared with approximately two-thirds of adults without a regular source of care. Similar trends were observed in pediatric populations, including higher receipt of counseling related to nutrition, exercise, injury prevention, and obesity prevention.

For PCPs, the findings provide quantifiable evidence of what many experience clinically: continuity of care is associated not only with better preventive service delivery, but with reduced downstream utilization and system-wide cost impact.