10 most common diagnoses and procedures in primary care in 2021

Primary care providers (PCPs) are an integral part of the care continuum. These providers are on the front lines of population health management and preventive care, gaining the trust of patients and families to deliver effective, personalized treatments. 

PCPs are responsible for chronic care management, specialist referrals and the evaluation of emerging health issues. Without a PCP, patients are at risk of receiving more serious diagnoses at later stages of illness, which can severely impact care outcomes. 

Below you will find lists of the ten most common diagnoses and the ten most common procedures in primary care.  

Top 10 most common diagnoses from primary care physicians (PCPs) in 2021 

Fig. 1 Data from Definitive Healthcare’s ClaimsMx database. Data reflects diagnosis volumes for physicians with an internal medicine specialty. Accessed May 2022. 

What is the most common diagnosis in primary care? 

In 2021, essential (primary) hypertension was the most common primary care diagnosis, with over 28 million diagnoses reported.  

The second was hyperlipidemia, unspecified, with 12,659,523 diagnoses. The third was type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications, with 8,566,845 diagnoses. The top three diagnoses are for prevalent conditions in the U.S. population. Because of their prevalence, PCPs are likely to encounter these chronic conditions regularly.   

The fourth was encounter for general adult medical examination without abnormal findings, with 8,477,791 diagnoses. It makes sense that this code made the list since PCPs often provide preventive medicine services. 

Immunizations were the fifth most commonly reported physician encounter in 2021, emphasizing the importance of PCPs in offering preventative medicine and population health management. By providing immunizations for illnesses like the flu to eligible patients, PCPs can help curb preventable threats to population health. 

Further down the list, there are a few more diagnoses for prevalent chronic conditions, including mixed hyperlipidemia and atherosclerotic heart disease of native coronary artery without angina pectoris. 

Interestingly, the ninth code describes exposure to COVID-19, showing the prevalence of COVID-19 and the crucial role that PCPs have played during the pandemic.  

Top 10 most common primary care procedures in 2021 

Fig. 2 Data from Definitive Healthcare’s ClaimsMx database. The list does not include “Office/Outpatient Visits” (HCPCS code 9921) and “Subsequent Hospital Care” (HCPCS code 9923). Accessed May 2022. 

What procedures are most commonly performed by PCPs? 

Routine venipuncture (blood draw) was the most common procedure performed by primary care physicians in 2021. Many of the most common primary care procedures include diagnostic tests like this one or physical therapy procedures. 

As seen in figure 2, home health service/hospice of RN each 15 min is the second-most-common procedure by PCPs. The popularity of this code corresponds with the recent increase in home health care that we’ve seen.  

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