SEATTLE, WA and DANA POINT, CA--(Marketwire - Aug 26, 2011) - Qliance Medical Management Inc., which operates direct primary care clinics -- also known as "direct primary care medical homes" -- in Washington State, was voted "Most Innovative Business" by the Health Evolution Partners 2011 Leadership Summit. Qliance is one of two recipients of the Leadership Summit 2011 Innovation Award, and was selected through a process designed to let health care industry leaders determine the companies they find most innovative.
"Health care executives from across the industry voted for companies that are solving real problems in health care," said David J. Brailer, MD, PhD, Chairman of Health Evolution Partners. "Qliance is a great example of a company that sees opportunity in reinventing primary care, a true foundational component, and thus driving change from the ground up."
"We accept this award with appreciation, and view the recognition as a true endorsement of the direct primary care model from the health care innovation marketplace," said Norm Wu, president and CEO of Qliance Medical Management Inc. "I would like to thank Health Evolution Partners for sponsoring the summit, and inviting Qliance to participate. By gathering the top minds in health care for three full days, the summit facilitated insightful discussions and valuable exploration of new ideas. I was honored to be part of a panel examining new models for primary care, and thrilled to share the success of Qliance's direct primary care model with other health care industry leaders."
The annual Health Evolution Partners Leadership Summit took place in late April, and brought together world-class health industry leaders for a series of discussions about commercial and regulatory forces shaping the health care landscape. In response to the evolving challenges and opportunities for innovation in the health care landscape, the organization added Innovation Day to the Leadership Summit 2011. Innovation Day included an Innovation Marketplace, enabling more than 100 meetings between innovative CEOs, investors and leading health care organizations. When asked to vote for the most innovative businesses from across their meetings, marketplace hosts selected Qliance as one of two companies to win the Leadership Summit 2011 Innovation Award.
Qliance's direct primary care model is designed to handle about 90% of issues people need to see a doctor for, including all routine primary and preventive care. This may include, but is not limited to: women's health services and pediatric care; urgent care (such as broken bones, stitches, severe fever); wellness education; ongoing chronic disease management (such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity); select onsite procedures and diagnostics (such as splinting and casting, suturing, mole removal, chest and extremity x-rays, EKGs and urinalysis), and coordination of all outside specialist and hospital care by a Qliance provider. 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 with fewer sick days.(i)
At Qliance, patients enjoy:
- Low, predictable monthly fees between $49 to $89 for all routine primary and preventive care and chronic disease management
- Extended office hours to better accommodate patients' busy schedules with same- or next-day appointments for urgent care needs
- Unhurried 30- to 60-minute office visits (compared to 10- to 15-minute averages nationally)
- Daily office hours, with 24-hour telephone access to a physician.
- On-site x-ray, laboratory and free "first-fill" generic prescription drug dispensary
- Coordination of any needed specialist and hospital care as a "medical home" model
- No limits or restrictions for pre-existing conditions
For more information about Qliance, visit www.Qliance.com. For more details about Qliance's participation in the Leadership Summit 2011, download the full summary report: http://www.healthevolutionpartners.com/storage/LS2011SummaryReport.pdf
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 under the Qliance® brand. Qliance 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 $49 and $89, depending on age, for its core service level. Qliance does not exclude anyone for pre-existing conditions and offers 30- to 60-minute same- and next-day appointments, 7-days per week. Through Qliance, patients and employers are getting exceptional care and saving up to 50 percent on comprehensive health care costs when bundled with a lower-premium insurance plan. Qliance has raised approximately $14 million, led by Second Avenue Partners with participation by Clear Fir Partners LP, New Atlantic Ventures, Bezos Expeditions, MSD Capital and other private investors. For more information, visit www.Qliance.com.
(i) In 2010, Qliance patients experienced 65% fewer ER visits, 43% fewer hospitalization days, 66% fewer specialist visits, 63% less advanced radiology, and 82% fewer surgeries than regional benchmarks. "Qliance Direct Primary Care Medical Home Decreases Downstream Healthcare Costs," Dr. Erika Bliss, March 2011. Download full report: http://qliance.com/pdf/Qliance+Executive+Summary+March2011.pdf