New Study from Marathon Health Reveals Advanced Primary Care Yields Immediate ROI and Curbs Acute Care Use

Marathon Health, a leading provider of advanced primary care (APC) for employers and unions across the United States, has released a new large-scale claims study showing that APC — starting in year 1 of an employer’s investment — significantly reduces health care costs, as employees engage in more preventive care and less acute/specialty care.

The findings arrive at a critical moment: The 2025 Milliman Medical Index reports health care costs for a family of four have reached $35,119 in the typical employer-sponsored health plan, up 188% over the 20 years of the study. This far outpaces wage growth and inflation, putting increasing pressure on employee and plan sponsor budgets.

“Advanced primary care is a 21st-century approach rooted in decades of evidence,” says Dr. Nirav Vakharia, chief health officer at Marathon Health and a practicing primary care physician. “For more than 50 years, research has shown that strong primary care leads to better clinical outcomes, less unnecessary utilization, and lower costs. What sets advanced primary care apart is that it doesn’t reinvent the fundamentals — it delivers them with greater consistency through timely access, continuity between patients and providers, and whole-person care. That’s how we create a health care system that truly works for working Americans.”

Part of Marathon Health’s ongoing and rigorous assessment of return on investment (ROI), the study examined over 3 million medical claim records across two cohorts — 89,000 members among 29 sponsors over five years; 224,000 members among 60 sponsors — via a methodology independently assessed by Milliman. Key findings under the most conservative of assumptions, including around engagement rates, show:

• Marathon Health’s APC model pays for itself in the first year and delivers 3.7x ROI by year 5
• Engaged members utilize more preventive care and less downstream acute care, and have:
  • 21% lower claims costs
  • 82% higher primary care utilization
  • 15% fewer emergency room visits
  • 41% fewer inpatient admissions

The results reinforce APC’s power to reduce unnecessary or avoidable high-cost care by encouraging prevention and early intervention — and employers have taken note. Advanced primary care adoption is rapidly accelerating: 76% of purchasers are currently offering APC or are considering adoption within the next 1-3 years, according to the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

Marathon Health will be hosting a public webinar on the study and its implications on June 26, 2025. Register here: https://marathon.health/webinar-registration.

To access the full study, visit marathon.health/ROI.

About Marathon Health

Marathon Health is a leading advanced primary care provider, partnering with employer and union plan sponsors to improve health for millions of Americans. With nationwide onsite, nearsite, and network health centers, and virtual primary care, Marathon delivers a value-based model that enhances the health care experience for members and providers, while driving meaningful cost savings for plan sponsors. Learn more at marathon.health.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250623878445/en/