A primary care physician is a specialist in family medicine, general internal medicine or general pediatrics who provides definitive care to the undifferentiated patient at the point of first contact, and takes continuing responsibility for providing the patient’s comprehensive care. This care may include chronic, preventive and acute care in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Such physicians are specifically trained to provide comprehensive primary care services through residency or fellowship training in acute and chronic care settings.
Primary care physicians devote most of their practice to providing primary care services to a defined patient population. The primary care practice style is such that the personal primary care physician serves as the entry point for the patient’s health care needs – not limited by problem origin, organ system, or diagnosis. Primary care physicians advocate for the patient in coordinating the use of the entire health care system to benefit the patient. (https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/primary-care.html, June 2026). (Alliance Glossary, June 2026)