Primary Care Visit Rates Among Medicare Beneficiaries Declined 10% Between 2017 & 2023

Between 2017 and 2023, primary care visit rates among traditional Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older declined 10.6%, from 2.54 visits per person per year to 2.27 visits per person per year nationwide, according to a recent study. Visit rates reached a low of 2.20 visits per person per year in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic before partially rebounding.

The researchers proposed that the trends could be driven by declines in the number of primary care professionals per capita. The specialty has fewer trainees entering primary care, and a higher rate of primary care physicians . . .