A five-year follow-up study of adults in a national probability sample survey showed that those who had a primary care physician as their regular source of care had one-third lower costs and were 19% less likely to die, even after controlling for several other predispositions to dying.

Source: Franks P, Fiscella K. Primary care physicians and specialists as personal physicians. Health care expenditures and mortality experience. J Fam Pract 1998; 47(2):105-109.