10 most common diagnoses and procedures in primary care in 2021

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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 

Rank 

ICD-10 Code 

ICD-10 Description 

# Total Diagnoses 

Total Charges 

I10 

Essential (primary) hypertension 

28,801,393 

$2,837,546,090  

E785 

Hyperlipidemia, unspecified 

12,659,523 

$427,651,627  

E119 

Type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications 

8,566,845 

$1,011,864,510  

Z0000 

Encounter for general adult medical examination without abnormal findings 

8,477,791 

$2,802,546,676  

Z23 

Encounter for immunization 

6,974,635 

$6,667,233,236,476  

E039 

Hypothyroidism, unspecified 

6,036,955 

$329,600,349  

K219 

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease without esophagitis 

5,865,678 

$301,121,626  

E782 

Mixed hyperlipidemia 

5,316,503 

$229,197,955  

Z20822 

Contact with and (suspected) exposure to COVID-19 

5,213,125 

$645,130,905  

10 

I2510 

Atherosclerotic heart disease of native coronary artery without angina pectoris 

5,197,480 

$1,848,804,894  

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 

Rank 

HCPCS Code 

HCPCS/CPT Description 

# Total Procedures 

Total Charges 

36415 

Routine venipuncture 

11,017,743 

$204,772,572  

G0299 

Home health service/hospice of RN each 15 min 

6,853,737 

$1,403,187,321  

90999 

Dialysis procedure 

5,664,570 

$31,323,620,961  

85025 

Complete CBC with automated differential WBC 

5,475,940 

$435,302,135  

80053 

Comprehensive metabolic panel 

5,428,860 

$799,473,083  

97110 

Therapeutic exercises 

4,876,607 

$604,272,281  

80061 

Lipid panel 

4,667,464 

$431,204,697  

97530 

Therapeutic activities 

4,307,542 

$425,979,919  

G0151 

HHCP-service of PT, each 15 min 

4,105,877 

$980,703,632  

10 

83036 

Glycosylated hemoglobin test 

3,955,540 

$258,936,994  

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.  

Learn more 

Healthcare Insights are developed with healthcare commercial intelligence from the Definitive Healthcare platform. Want even more insights? Start a free trial now and get access to the latest healthcare commercial intelligence on hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers. 

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