Skip to page content

Primary Care

Primary care providers are often the first point of contact for patients attempting to navigate a complex health care delivery system and seeking referrals to specialists. RAND has explored the increasing use of emergency departments as a primary care setting, the influence of primary care on health care spending, shared decisionmaking between patients and primary care providers, the emergence of retail health clinics, and more.

Blog
Caring for the Uninsured: What Role Do Emergency Rooms Play?
Absent from the discussion about health care during the first debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney was any mention of one of the main providers of care for America's uninsured: emergency rooms. What does research tell us about the use of ERs and the relevant implications on health care access and cost?
Oct 9, 2012
Journal Article
Do English Patients Want Continuity of Care, and Do They Receive It?
The majority of patients value interpersonal continuity, yet a large minority of patients and specific patient groups are not regularly able to see the GP they prefer.
Aug 1, 2012
Blog
Attempts by States to Save Money by Locking Medicaid Enrollees out of the ED Are Likely to Backfire
A better solution than restricting emergency department use by Medicaid enrollees is to reverse what for many years has been a trend of shrinking access to primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries.
May 21, 2012
Commentary
Emergency Departments, Medicaid Costs, and Access to Primary Care—Understanding the Link
The fact that many ED (emergency department) visits could be managed in primary care settings does not mean that such care is available, write Arthur L. Kellermann and Robin M. Weinick.
May 18, 2012
Journal Article
Implementation of the CALM Intervention for Anxiety Disorders: A Qualitative Study
Investigators recently tested the effectiveness of a collaborative-care intervention for anxiety disorders, Coordinated Anxiety Learning and Management(CALM), in 17 primary care clinics around the United States.
Apr 1, 2012
Journal Article
Integrating Susceptibility Into Environmental Policy: An Analysis of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Lead
Susceptibility to chemical toxins has not been adequately addressed in risk assessment methodologies.
Mar 1, 2012
Journal Article
Trauma Exposure in Anxious Primary Care Patients
The present study examined rates of trauma exposure, clinical characteristics associated with trauma exposure, and the effect of trauma exposure on treatment outcome in a large sample of primary care patients without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Jan 1, 2012
Journal Article
CBT Competence in Novice Therapists Improves Anxiety Outcomes
This study explores the relationships between therapist variables (cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT] competence, and CBT adherence) and clinical outcomes of computer-assisted CBT for anxiety disorders delivered by novice therapists in a primary care setting.
Jan 1, 2012
Journal Article
Assessment and Management of Patients with Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Primary Care
Findings from this small study should be replicated in larger studies to stimulate interventions that will improve the initial and ongoing treatment of older persons with cognitive impairment.
Jan 1, 2012
Journal Article
Emergency Departments, Medicaid Costs, and Access to Primary Care — Understanding the Link
Attempts by states to save money by seeking to lock Medicaid enrollees out of the emergency department are likely to backfire.
Jan 1, 2012
Journal Article
Use of Retail Medical Clinics Rises Tenfold Over Two-Year Period
Use of retail medical clinics located in pharmacies and other retail settings increased tenfold between 2007 and 2009. The determining factors in choosing one over a physician's office were found to be age, health status, income, and proximity to the clinic.
Nov 1, 2011
Journal Article
Quality of and Patient Satisfaction with Primary Health Care for Anxiety Disorders
Most patients with anxiety disorders receive their care from primary care practitioners, but fewer than half receive high-quality care.
Jul 1, 2011
Journal Article
Disorder-specific Impact of Coordinated Anxiety Learning and Management Treatment for Anxiety Disorders in Primary Care
Cognitive behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy medication is more effective than is usual care for principal anxiety disorders and, to a lesser extent, comorbid anxiety disorders that present in primary care.
Apr 1, 2011
Journal Article
Incremental Benefits and Cost of Coordinated Anxiety Learning and Management for Anxiety Treatment in Primary Care
An approach to anxiety treatment in primary care integrates research interventions into real-world practice settings. Patients benefit but costs are modestly increased.
Jan 1, 2011
Research Brief
Where Do Americans Get Acute Care? Not at Their Doctor's Office
Less than half of acute care visits in the United States involve a patient's personal physician. Emergency physicians, who comprise only 4 percent of doctors, handle 28 percent of all acute care encounters and nearly all after-hours and weekend care.
Sep 2, 2010
Journal Article
Improving Access to and Utilization of Adolescent Preventive Health Care: The Perspectives of Adolescents
Adolescents and parents reported that the most effective way to encourage preventive care utilization among teens was to directly address provider-level barriers related to the timeliness, privacy, confidentiality, comprehensiveness, and continuity of their preventive care.
Aug 1, 2010
News Release
Performance-Based Payments for Primary Care Providers May Worsen Disparities in Medical Care
Rewarding primary care physicians for providing better care to patients could end up widening medical disparities experienced by poorer people and by minorities. Increasing the number of primary care physicians is also not enough to boost U.S. health care quality and lower costs.
May 4, 2010
Journal Article
Performance-Based Payments for Primary Care Providers May Worsen Disparities in Medical Care
Rewarding primary care physicians for providing better care to patients could end up widening medical disparities experienced by poorer people and by minorities. Increasing the number of primary care physicians is also not enough to boost U.S. health care quality and lower costs.
May 1, 2010
Journal Article
Primary Care: A Critical Review of the Evidence on Quality and Costs of Health Care
Despite contentious debate over the new national health care reform law, there is an emerging consensus that strengthening primary care will improve health outcomes and restrain the growth of health care spending.
May 1, 2010
Commentary
The Primary Care Physician and Health Care Reform
Increased health care coverage raises issues in addition to cost containment. Increased coverage will mean increased demand for primary care physicians, writes Robert Brook.
Apr 21, 2010

Previous
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Next

RAND Topic:
Primary Care

Research conducted by

RAND Health Care

Researcher Spotlight

Nicole K. Eberhart

Senior Behavioral Scientist

Nicole Eberhart (she/her) is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation and a clinical psychologist. Her research focuses primarily on mental health and wellbeing. More specifically, her work focuses on evaluation of behavioral health programs, programs that integrate primary and…
Jonathan S. Levin

Associate Policy Researcher

Jonathan S. Levin (he/him) is an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. He uses mixed methods to examine access, costs, and quality in public insurance programs, health care consolidation, prescription drugs, and treatment patterns for individuals with mental illness and substance…

Explore Our People »