Boutique Medical Practice Wins Over Guv
Qliance founder Garrison Bliss
Governor Christine Gregoire appears to be giving unusual boutique medical practice Qliance a measure of approval. The guv is scheduled to speak at Qliance's invitation-only launch party on Thursday at its downtown Seattle offices. Unlike most boutique (or concierge) practices, Qliance pitches itself as a service for the working poor and uninsured. It does not take health insurance, instead charging patients between $39 and $74 a month—a fraction of what higher-end practices charge. Four months after Qliance's soft opening, president Norm Wu says that 44 percent of its patients are uninsured, though that number may go down when founder Garrison Bliss brings over his patients from a slightly higher-end practice later this week. It will be interesting to see how strongly Gregoire endorses what Qliance is doing, given concerns by state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and others that making patients pay out-of-pocket for primary care could be a dangerous precedent, even if fees are affordable.
1 comment(s)
Jerry says:
I love the line \"making patients pay out-of-pocket for primary care could be a dangerous precedent.\" Anyone else old enough to remember when that was the norm and medical insurance was for the unusual (aka major) medical expenses?
Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 1 2007 @ 6:16PM