Hospital affiliations with primary care providers are up about 17% in the last four years and are seeing mixed results, a recent Medscape report found.
The “Realities of Primary Care Affiliations Report 2026,” published Feb. 6, surveyed 1,363 physicians across 29 specialties between July 2 and Nov. 19.
Here are seven key findings:
1. Among primary care providers, 64% are affiliated with a hospital or health system, up from 47.9% in 2022.
2. Eighty-three percent of primary care providers who worked full time in a hospital, healthcare organization or outpatient clinic reported an affiliation, as did 55% of those who worked in a medical office.
3. Affiliations with hospitals resulted in increased access to resources and technology, as well as administrative burden. However, more than half of PCPs said financial benefits stayed the same.
4. Feelings toward hospital affiliations were almost evenly split between positive, negative and neutral. PCPs who work in hospitals or outpatient clinics reported positive attitudes 38% of the time, compared to 28% for those in medical offices.
5. An affiliation’s impact on patient quality of care differed by setting. Among primary care providers who work in hospitals or health systems, 31% said affiliation improved quality while 28% it worsened quality. Among those working in medical offices, 37% reported a decline in patient quality.
6. About half of primary care providers said patient and payer spending on care rose after affiliation.
7. Only 6% of PCPs reported being acquired and consolidated by a private equity firm. Among those, 53% reported a decrease in spending on patient care, 61% reported a decrease in quality of care, and 41% reported a decrease in practice efficiencies.
