Should your new year’s resolution be to see the doctor more often? “There’s no one-size-fits-all answer,” says Brandon Combs, MD, an associate professor in the University of Colorado Department of Medicine’s Division of General Internal Medicine.
The percentage of adults in the United States who see a doctor at least once a year dipped slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but then rebounded and stood at 84.5% in 2023, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. About 79.4% saw a doctor at least once in 2023 for a wellness visit.
We asked Combs for guidance on how often people should see their primary physician.