The health care system in the United States depends on primary care services. Yet the limitations imposed by traditional approaches in primary care have resulted in an unrealized potential for primary care. Currently, we rely on the motivation and initiative of persons to acquire the health care services they need, and health care providers have attempted to meet these needs. Community-oriented primary care provides an opportunity for primary care physicians to expand their range of services and their ability to reach out to people. Incorporating community-oriented primary care into primary health care has the potential to make a major contribution in reshaping health care in the United States.