March 31st, 2026
4 min. read
By Bonnie Reeves, Chief Practice Officer
What does primary care actually look and feel like today? See the data behind today’s primary care experience in the 2026 State of Primary Care Report.
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If you have ever waited weeks for an appointment, sat in an exam room wondering when someone would come in, or left with more questions than answers, you have likely felt how frustrating primary care can be.
For many Americans, it increasingly feels like a process to navigate, not a relationship to rely on.
At PartnerMD, we have spent more than two decades listening closely to what patients experience in primary care. We consistently hear the same concerns: long waits for appointments, rushed visits, limited focus on prevention, and care that feels fragmented across providers.
To better understand what patients are actually experiencing, we conducted the Primary Care Check-Up, an online self-assessment completed by more than 500 people that evaluates the primary care experience across access, time with the physician, prevention and long-term planning, and coordination of care.
The results provide a clear view of primary care in the U.S., highlighting a disconnect between how primary care is intended to function and how it is experienced on a day-to-day basis. Below, we break down the findings across the four areas the Check-Up measures.
Key Findings from the Check-Up
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Overall primary care experience scored 45 out of 100.
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Willingness to recommend care is low and reflected in a Net Promoter Score of –52.
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Access remains a challenge, with 53% waiting at least a week for an appointment and 62% unable to reach their doctor after hours.
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Time with physicians is limited, as only 24% report visits lasting 20 minutes or more, and 68% say appointments feel rushed.
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Prevention is underemphasized and earned the lowest category score at 30 out of 100.
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Care coordination is inconsistent with 80% worried important health issues could slip through the cracks.
About the Survey Results
The Primary Care Check-Up converts responses into a 0–100 score, with an overall score and scores across four areas:
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Access & Availability
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Relationship & Time with Physician,
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Prevention & Long-Term Care
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Coordination & Support.
Results fall into three ranges: Needs Attention (0–49), Room to Improve (50–74), and Exceeding Expectations (75–100).
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67% of respondents scored in the Needs Attention range
- 22% scored in the Room to Improve range
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11% scored in the Exceeding Expectations range
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Across all four areas measured, the average overall score points to widespread gaps in the primary care experience.
The average Primary Care Check-Up score was 45 out of 100.
When primary care does not provide enough access, time, or continuity, patients lose many of the benefits it is meant to deliver.
Prevention becomes harder, follow-through suffers, and confidence in decision-making declines.
Willingness to recommend is low.
That broader impact is reflected in how willing patients are to recommend their care.
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Net Promoter Score (NPS): –52
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a widely recognized business metric that gauges how likely someone is to recommend a company, product, or service.
In healthcare, recommending a doctor is a high bar. It reflects confidence in access, communication, and follow-through over time. A score this low suggests many patients are hesitant to endorse their primary care experience to others.
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Access is a major barrier.
Access & Availability measures how easy it is for patients to get care when they need it, including appointment scheduling, in-office wait times, and after-hours access.
In the Primary Care Check-Up, access-related measures consistently point to delays and limited availability.
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53% of respondents wait at least one week to see their doctor.
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27% wait more than two weeks for an appointment.
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76% report waiting ten minutes or more in the office before seeing their physician.
Outside of regular office hours, access becomes even more limited.
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62% say they have no way to reach their doctor after hours if a concern arises
Taken together, these findings suggest that for many patients, primary care does not feel dependable when they need it most.
Limited time affects trust and connection.
Relationship & Time with Physician reflects how much time patients spend with their doctor, how well they feel known, and whether visits feel rushed.
The Primary Care Check-Up shows that limited visit time is common and shapes how patients experience care.
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24% say their doctor spends 20 minutes or more with them during an appointment.
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68% say their visits feel rushed at least sometimes.
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16% believe their doctor knows them extremely well.
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14% feel very confident they are receiving the best possible care.
Without enough time and familiarity, primary care can start to feel impersonal rather than relationship-based.
Prevention & Long-Term Care examines whether primary care addresses long-term health planning, lifestyle goals, and preventive strategies beyond immediate concerns.
In the Primary Care Check-Up, prevention scored the lowest of all four categories.
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Prevention & Long-Term Care score: 30 / 100
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18% describe their most recent annual physical as extremely thorough.
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12% frequently discuss long-term health goals or lifestyle changes with their doctor.
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13% report frequent conversations about advanced testing for prevention or longevity.
Support beyond the exam room is also limited.
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59% say their doctor offers no wellness resources.
When prevention is not consistently addressed, primary care becomes less about long-term health and more about addressing what is urgent in the moment.
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Care feels fragmented across providers.
Coordination & Support measures whether patients feel their care is connected across providers, medical history, and next steps.
The Primary Care Check-Up suggests that many patients are managing this complexity largely on their own.
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14% say their doctor completely connects their medical history and care across providers.
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80% worry important health issues might slip through the cracks.
When coordination falls short, patients are left managing information, follow-ups, and decisions without consistent guidance. For many, primary care does not feel like the center of their care but another piece they have to manage.
These findings signal challenges in primary care.
Taken together, the Primary Care Check-Up reveals a consistent pattern in patient-reported experience, marked by limited access, constrained time, gaps in prevention, and fragmented coordination.
Primary care plays a critical role in prevention, early detection, and long-term health planning. When the experience falls short, so does its ability to support patients over time.
Reflect on your own care.
These findings raise an important question. Does your primary care experience provide the access, attention, and guidance you expect?
Do you feel known, supported, and confident in the plan for your health, or rushed through visits and left managing details on your own?
To explore the full findings, category-level results, and detailed methodology, download the complete 2026 State of Primary Care Report. You’ll find the full set of charts and scores across access, time with the physician, prevention and long-term planning, and coordination and support.
