Qliance Medical Management Names Ona Karasa Chief Operating Officer

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - November 24, 2009) - Qliance Medical Management Inc., which operates insurance-free direct primary care clinics -- also known as "direct medical homes" -- in Washington State, today announced it has named Ona Karasa, 49, to the new position of chief operating officer. Karasa was formerly president of the Atlas Division of aQuantive, a digital media technology company acquired by Microsoft in 2007.

"Ona has a proven track record streamlining and automating new business models for exponential growth and her operational oversight will help Qliance expand our growing direct primary care medical home model nationally," said Norm Wu, president & CEO of Qliance Medical Management, Inc. "Ona shares our vision at Qliance to deliver affordable, high-quality health care to more Americans and we are delighted to welcome her to our growing team."

Karasa brings 25 years of leadership experience in management in technology to Qliance. During her four-year tenure at Atlas, she helped grow revenue from $8 million to more than $100 million. Prior to aQuantive, she was executive vice president and general manager of MSNBC.com and general manager of www.saltlake2002.com and www.olympics.com. She has also held numerous executive and technology positions for companies including Clarus Corporation, Adobe, and Aldus.

"Qliance is one of the best health care solutions I've seen that actually addresses the endemic challenges with today's health care system and I'm excited to join their effort," said Karasa. "At this point in my career, it's invigorating to be involved with a group that is helping transform health care in a positive way, and that could ultimately save our country billions of dollars currently being wasted on unnecessary health care administration costs."

Karasa holds a master's in applied behavioral science with a concentration in management consulting from Bastyr University and a bachelor's in biology from Smith College in Massachusetts.

Qliance Medical Management was founded in 2006 and opened Qliance Medical Group's first clinic in Seattle in 2007. In August, Qliance opened a second clinic in Kent, Wash. and expects to open another in January 2010. In July, Qliance announced it had completed a $4 million funding round, bringing its total venture capital raised to $7.5 million.

About Qliance Medical Management

Qliance Medical Management was founded in 2006 and provides operating and management services to Qliance Medical Group of Washington PC, which operates clinics in Seattle and Kent, Wash. Qliance direct primary care offers people of all ages and incomes unrestricted access to all types of primary, preventive and chronic illness care for one monthly membership fee, ranging between $39 and $79, depending on age. Qliance does not exclude anyone for pre-existing conditions and offers unhurried same- and next-day appointments 7 days per week. Through Qliance, patients and employers are getting exceptional care and saving between 20 and 50 percent on comprehensive health care costs when bundled with wrap-around insurance. Qliance and its direct primary care model, which was pioneered by co-founder Dr. Garrison Bliss in 1997, is backed by Second Avenue Partners and Clear Fir Partners LP in Seattle and New Atlantic Ventures in Reston, Va. and Cambridge, Mass. For more information, visit www.Qliance.com.