No insurance allowed.
That’s just one of the ways Seattle-based Qliance Medical Management is trying to change the delivery – and costs – of medical care, and it’s bringing its 5-year-old approach to Tacoma this fall.
The company announced Monday that it plans to open a clinic in October at 2420 S. Union Ave., Suite 100, near the MultiCare’s Allenmore Hospital and the Target shopping center. The new clinic in Tacoma will offer primary and preventive medical care on a flat-fee schedule, which ranges between $49 and $89 per month, depending on age.
Direct primary care practices are designed to address most issues people need to see a doctor for, including women’s health services, pediatric care, urgent care for things such as broken bones, and chronic care for conditions such as diabetes.
“By enhancing access to unhurried, thorough care at the primary care level and eliminating insurance, co-pays and deductibles from such routine and predictable care, the direct primary care model significantly reduces the cost of health care and keeps people healthier,” Qliance said in a news release.
For employers, Qliance offers an alternative to traditional insurance and says it will save businesses money.
“By replacing a traditional insurance plan with a Qliance membership, supplemented by a lower-premium wrap-around insurance plan, businesses can lower health care costs by up to 50 percent and reduce annual premium increases,” Qliance said in the release.
Qliance works with approximately 100 businesses in the Puget Sound region, including MacDonald-Miller, BeckerTrucking, Tri-Tec Manufacturing and Glacier Fish Co.
“In Tacoma, several employers plan to offer Qliance as an option for their employees this year, including Tacoma Screw Products, Pacific Grill, Club Biella and California Closets,” the release said. “Benefit consultants, (at companies) such as Brown & Brown of Tacoma, are helping companies integrate Qliance into their employee benefit plans.”
Qliance, founded in 2006, is a private company founded to reinvent basic primary care and reduce the costs associated with insurance companies. Qliance is funded by a group of private investors including Second Avenue Partners, New Atlantic Ventures, Clear Fir Partners, Bezos Expeditions, MSD Capital and several private angel investors. Qliance operates clinics in Seattle, Kent and Mercer Island.
Kathleen Cooper: 253-597-8546
kathleen.cooper@thenewstribune.com
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