How cultivating employee-PCP relationships improves health, reduces costs
- Key insight: Learn how building relationships with primary care physicians improves your chances of healthier outcomes.
- What’s at stake: Employers risk higher health care costs if their young workers continue to avoid routine preventive care.
- Support data: Today, 29% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 do not have a primary care physician.
Source: AI generated bullets with editorial review
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Many workers—especially young adults—don’t see their primary care providers, missing a crucial opportunity to maintain overall wellness, prevent serious conditions and avoid higher health care costs, according to recent research.
When employers foster employee-PCP relationships through education and offerings that improve access, both they and their employees win, said Dr. Jeffrey Lin, medical director of member-based primary care network MDVIP.
“It’s about managing the health risk as early as possible … so you don’t have to manage the chronic illness later, so this is very important in terms of the employer and the employee,” he said.
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Ongoing problem
In 2023, 100 million Americans faced barriers to seeing a primary care physician (PCP), according to a report by the American Academy of Family Physicians’ Community Health Centers and the National HealthLandscape Association. A 2026 survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that Gen Z in particular is eschewing routine care: 29% of adults ages 18 to 29 don’t have a PCP, and turn to urgent care when an emergency health problem occurs. Among those who have a primary care doctor, less than half (47%) have had an examination in the last year.
“Being a primary care physician is especially important when we’re young,” said Dr. Zachary Bittinger, a family medicine physician and clinical assistant professor in Ohio State’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, in an article published by the university. “We look five, 10, and 20 years out, because that’s how long you’ll see your primary care doctor. That kind of relationship means you get the kind of advice that keeps you safe for every stage of life, from college to raising kids to retirement.”
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Although older adults are more likely to have a PCP, most are not up to date on all recommended care, Lin said. Long wait times for appointments, reduced one-on-one time with doctors, and lack of follow-up with lab work and screenings are some of the reasons for employee delays — something benefits leaders can help address by communicating the importance of preventive care and targeting employees with improved access options.
MDVIP’s Wellness Program is a patient-paid alternative to preventive health and telemedicine preventive, diagnostic and support services not typically covered by insurance. Members have access to a network of concierge primary care physicians in 47 states, limiting patients to about 600, compared to the usual 2,300, according to the company.
The annual fee includes 30- to 90-minute visits, tests, and screenings, along with a personalized health plan and follow-up based on results. Regular insurance, FSAs, and HSAs can be used for outpatient visits and other routinely covered services.
By offering faster appointment scheduling, more in-depth visits and access to faster follow-up communication, a stronger patient-provider relationship is established, Lin said. This, in turn, keeps employees more involved in the health journey and enables their physicians to become knowledgeable advocates for overall wellness, he added.
“You want your staff to be really productive and engaged, and a big part of that is keeping them actively healthy. The two components that are important are, one, having a clinical model of prevention — one that really focuses on thinking beyond the traditional physical exam — and (two), you have to couple that with a lot of PCP care, and that’s where the relationship component comes in. You have to have both.”
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To face today’s biggest health challenges
PCPs are critical to helping employees prevent or manage chronic conditions, thus improving employer outcomes. For example, the CDC Foundation reports that 1 in 6 dollars goes to cardiovascular disease. Having a primary care physician is associated with nearly 54% lower health care costs for adults with such a chronic disease, but primary care accounts for less than 5% of all US health care spending, according to data from The Physician’s Foundation.
When employees improve preventive care through PCP visits, employers can see lower overall spending on today’s biggest cost drivers, including metabolic-related conditions and cancer. If they develop a chronic illness, having a PCP who knows them well is a key part of support, Lin said.
“They can adjust the care needed for this chronic disease in consultation with a specialist,” he said. “The reason that piece is so important is that when I think about what motivates people to better manage their chronic disease, a lot of it is just making sure (the care) is customized to their goals and values, and that’s where a primary care physician can be so helpful.”
Ultimately, it’s about helping people age well, and beneficiary leaders have an important role to play, Lin said.
“Health is not something that happens in small cases, it is an active condition,” he explained. “When it comes to prevention… it’s never too late to start… and what we do today matters for decades.”
