Dr. Gordon Bliss, widely regarded as one of the founders of concierge medicine, now Direct Medical Practices, is developing a widely successful business model that provides concierge quality to Seattle’s working poor.
Singh is not your typical patient of a boutique medical practice; he earns about $50 or $60 a day””far less than the CEOs and other wealthy types who tend to pay the monthly, out-of-pocket fees that boutique (or concierge) practices charge for on-demand access to their doctors. That’s because Qliance is not your typical boutique service. Indeed, it doesn’t even like that term, which it says smacks of elitism.Rather, Qliance’s target demographic is the working poor and uninsured. It does not accept insurance, instead charging between $39 and $74 a month for an individual, depending on age. (The older you are, the more you pay.) That fee covers most of what encompasses primary care, including office visits, phone consultations, common X-rays, and some procedures and lab tests. Other tests, including those for cholesterol, diabetes, and blood count, will be offered at close to cost, for $7 to $17.50 each.
Sound too good to be true?
