Strengthening primary care and preventive care is widely recognized as essential to improving health outcomes, controlling costs, and supporting long-term economic growth.
In Indiana, policymakers, employers, insurers, and health care leaders agree on the importance of primary care, but there is less alignment on which strategies work best and where investments will have the greatest impact.
This report, commissioned by the Indiana Business Health Collaborative and produced by the Indiana University Indianapolis Center for Health Policy at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, examines the current state of primary care and preventive care utilization in Indiana and evaluates evidence-based approaches to strengthening these systems.
Drawing on national peer-reviewed research and comparative state-level data, the report assesses trends in workforce supply, health spending, and use of recommended preventive services, and compares Indiana’s performance with neighboring and comparable states.
The analysis synthesizes rigorous evidence on how investments in primary care and preventive care affect health outcomes, patient experience, health care utilization, and total spending.
It also reviews real-world policy, payer, employer, and provider strategies that have been shown to increase access to and utilization of high-value primary and preventive services, distinguishing between approaches supported by strong causal evidence and those with limited or mixed results.
The report concludes with actionable, Indiana-specific recommendations designed to help decision-makers spend health care dollars more strategically, by strengthening primary care teams, improving access to preventive services, and reducing avoidable high-cost care, while supporting a healthier workforce and a more competitive state economy.
