A Great Idea!! Healthcare Start-Up Treats Patients, Cuts Out Insurance

This approach seems too good to succeed especially under the uncertain guidelines of Obamacare.

Dr. Garrison Bliss has found a way to decrease the role of insurance companies in day-to-day medical care that leaves both doctors and patients with more money.

As a co-founder of the Qliance Medical Group, Bliss operates three clinics in the Seattle area that treat both insured and uninsured patients who pay a monthly fee of between $49 and $89, depending on their age.

"The primary difference is that we don't take money from insurance companies," said Bliss, who opened his first clinic in 2007 and claims the business model decreases wait times and reduces the costs of treating patients. "The amount of money per patient that we make is actually higher than it would be if we ran an insurance practice."

Under insurance-based healthcare, physicians see 2,500 to 3,000 patients annually, each for only 10 minutes, Bliss said. At Qliance doctors see 800 patients and spend at least 30 minutes with each and as long as one hour.

"We promise to see you on the day that you're sick, or the next day," said Bliss, adding that Qliance neither pre-screens nor cares about pre-existing conditions. "Patients want to have access, they want to be the boss, they want to be appreciated and taken care of and physicians want time to do good work."

Wow! How can the government tolerate such success??

Qliance clinics are open seven days a week and 12 hours a day on weekdays. Patients are also given cell phone and e-mail access to doctors.

The monthly fee covers first-time prescription fills, stitches, casts, and X-rays, all of which are taken care of at the clinic.

"We don't make money on ancillaries," Bliss said, adding that 50 percent of the money spent in primary care gets "burned up" in insurance company transaction costs, which instead could go to doctors.

Insurance companies are still needed, he said, but only for "catastrophic events" such as big operations or month-long hospital stays — not for basic primary care.

www.newsmaxhealth.com...

They want to expand this successful concept. Let's hope that they can continue with their success

reply to post by jibeho


Where this might cut out lines, insurances deductibles at the office and so on.....it would not solve the issue of Home Health Equipment that is needed for patients, nor would it even come close to solving the pharmaceutical issue with prescriptions and the high costs of medications at the Pharmacies. Its definitely a good front end business model but there is far more to the issue than this if anything is going to be solved.

If only every doctor worked like this.

However, as the previous poster mentioned, there would still be problems for patients who need wheelchairs, crutches, etc.

A bold step in the right direction. Notice the complete lack of government involvement. Let the market work, get the government out of health care.

OF COURSE this doesn't do everything! Why should it? People who want the Nanny State to take care of every penny of their health care costs will not like this because they might actually have to take some responsibility for their own welfare. The vast majority of hralth care visits today is to clinic-baed operations. It's all small stuff (not that it doesn't sometimes hurt like hell.) But people here have no perspective. They are quite willing to go the ER because they cut their finger, then wonder why it cost $800. Well, it's becfause you chose the absolute most expensive way there is to treat your little issue.

I hope these clinics grow and grow. They could transform healthcare in this country. Good on 'em!

They have had models like this for years, similar to a co-op where the people of a community would pay X amount of dollars per month towards a local hospital that served their community. The hospitals would also have agreements with other similar hospitals in other areas which helped to expand their care to cover a vast array of needs.

if you have 100,000 people in a community and they each paid $100/month ($1,200/year) that would be ~$120 million per year that a hospital would receive that they could easily pay their staff, doctors, supplies, and even provide upgrades to equipment without having to deal with a health insurance company.

Personally, I think that residents of a community should all be taxed about that amount per year to provide/setup a state of the art hospital. We would have more hospitals, more well paid doctors, and more jobs for nurses/etc. All while eliminating the glut of health insurance.

Heck, if all Americans paid $100/month into a "federal medical fund" that would be about $360 billion/year for health care, much of which Medicaid could be modified/transitioned together with.

"Socialized Medicine" would work if everyone paid and if we could eliminate the powerful special interests who thrive in the current environment of substandard class rationed healthcare.

reply to post by DJM8507
There you go ruining something that works by involving government, taxation, and force. Why can you liberals not allow people to do what they want? I mean murdering babies is ok if you want to do that, but God forbid(not God I guess since many liberals seem to be atheists), people should decide to do for themselves without big brother getting his hands on our wallets and his nose into our lives.

Originally posted by MonkeyWrench30
reply to post by jibeho

 

Where this might cut out lines, insurances deductibles at the office and so on.....it would not solve the issue of Home Health Equipment that is needed for patients, nor would it even come close to solving the pharmaceutical issue with prescriptions and the high costs of medications at the Pharmacies. Its definitely a good front end business model but there is far more to the issue than this if anything is going to be solved.

This concept is simply a start in the right direction. By passing Obamacare, all of the players were hoping to cure all of our nations health care problems with the panacea approach. That approach cannot work with a problem so grand. The only way to correct the system is to identify and fix the individual problems one at a time.

Years ago, the government unlocked the doors and gave the key to big Pharma and now they can't shut the door.

Tort reform would be nice etc etc. Medicare and Medicaid have there own exclusive problems....

The lesson learned with this model in the OP, is the notion of putting the patient first ahead of the Insurance companies and the Government.

Stossel reported on one of these clinics back when he was still on 20/20.

As I recall the clinic featured in his story was shut down shortly after the segment aired.

The government cited some buerocratic reasons naturally and shut them down.


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reply to post by jibeho


Hell I'd pay for that, to bad their nearest clinic is just a tad to far from me.

Another good doctor model I found was at my dentist. When I go there I'm asked if I have insurance, if not I'm given the exact cost of everything they plan on doing on a sheet of paper, I tell them what I'll pay for, sign and pay, they do the work. If you go into a hospital or a doctors office without insurance the thing to remember is everything cost money. EVERYTHING. And you're never told what it cost.. if you knew that can of sprite the nurse just gave you set you back $5 you probably would have rethought that.

Or other surgeries such as weight loss surgery, plastic surgery and Lasic surgery are all very cheap by comparison to other procedures because insurance doesn't cover it. Thus the doctors have to compete for out of pocket pay.. and it's still profitable, just cheaper..

If you want to fix the American health care problems.. make insurance companies illegal.

reply to post by DJM8507


I wouldn't mind a local tax to fund local health care.. but I'd have to have a guarantee it stays in my community and that people from outside the community wouldn't get free care.

And while I know it's not possible, it'd be nice if the administration cost could be limited, which is where the vast majority of tax dollars gets wasted.

I have a better idea to cut our insurance rates and reduce the healthcare bills almost to nothing.



Live a holistic life! Eat healthy, don't go to fast food ever, get on an intense workout regiment, like go to an any time fitness daily or something, meditate, move to the country away from smog and toxins, drink lots of water, don't smoke, don't drink, don't do drugs, take vitamin supplements, get regular screenings for cancer, and other illnesses that you can catch early, etc.


Our main causes of ill health in the U.S. are all preventable! Live a healthy life and this whole health care bill argument for america will basically be obsolete!

This is how healthcare should be in this nation. No more insuranc companies denying anyone they want for no reason.

I hope this becomes both the national model and template that becomes the norm in 20 yrs.

This is not socialism as since when did putting profits before people be the way forward.

Star and flag!

A free-market system of health care that both lowers bureaucracy and raises income of the doctor while simultaneously lowering costs and making visits quicker will not last long, if it does not involve the government’s cronies (i.e. health insurance companies) or the government itself they will be shut down because they are too practical and cost effective.

You know like before the Medicare/Medicaid then the Nixon Administration, both of which finally consolidated the health industry into the hands of an evil alliance of government and corporations. Now ObamaCare will just make that evil alliance even worse. Hopefully we can restore real healthcare before all people forget what it means to be free.

Originally posted by Misoir
A free-market system of health care that both lowers bureaucracy and raises income of the doctor while simultaneously lowering costs and making visits quicker will not last long, if it does not involve the government’s cronies (i.e. health insurance companies) or the government itself they will be shut down because they are too practical and cost effective.

You know like before the Medicare/Medicaid then the Nixon Administration, both of which finally consolidated the health industry into the hands of an evil alliance of government and corporations. Now ObamaCare will just make that evil alliance even worse. Hopefully we can restore real healthcare before all people forget what it means to be free.

We tried that and we got people getting dropped for being sick and it has failed and failed horribly.

The recent Healthcare reform law tried to implement a National Insurance Exchangehouse but the insurance lobby and the GOP got it killed. Thank them solely and exclusively is why afterwards most everyone's premiums doubled near overnight.

Healthcare shall forever be about putting people before profits, when everything is privatized profits will forever be put before people effectively taking and stripping those very people who are supposed to be protected out of the equation.

The GOP's "Death Panels" were some Customer Service Rep on the phone 1,000 miles away dictating who gets what in coverage and not leaving it up to the Doctor-Paitent-Family where it should've been all along.

Another classic case whereas privatization hinders people's choices and in a free society as you so vehemently are defending people should be free to make a choice to not be gouged by their healthcare provider and have a right to seek a better avenue that affords them the right to have the best care out there.

You claim you are an "Eisenhower Republican" but in reality Eisenhower would be turning over in his grave at the mess this nation is in, this is not the nation he so vehemently defended and who commanded the nation's armed forces for during in WWII. He would be ashamed. He, imho is the last great Republican Pres as during him everyone prospered.

THE TERM OBAMACARE IS OFFENSIVE AND STOP USING IT AS THE SECOND YOU DO ALL CREDIBILITY IN YOUR ARGUMENT IS LOST INSTANTLY EVEN IF YOU ARGUMENT MAY HOLD WATER!

reply to post by TheImmaculateD1


Where did I defend corporate health care? In fact I attacked it for the absolute crime against the free-market and human livelihood that it is. Health care would be 50% more affordable if just the health insurance companies got out of the business of non-catastrophic care, imagine what would happen to costs should the government get out as well.

Government works with big corporations which raise the costs of health care then the government sets limits where you must meet a certain age or poverty limit then they can assist you. It is criminal what they are doing and to assume that placing more control in government hands will help our health care you are a fool.

What happens when more government gets involved? Health care is rationed, just like when corporations got involved, then cost of care goes up, just like when corporations got involved, except when the government takes control over health care the costs are ‘dispersed’ through society which means higher taxes and of course that will mean not higher taxes for the wealthy but rather on the working man.

Government can do good, I am not opposed to the idea that everyone under 18 and everyone over 70 should have universal health coverage (if they choose to participate) but only if their income is below the median income for their state.

So what if I call Obama’s health care bill “ObamaCare”? Those who followed Reagan were not angry when they called his economics “Reaganomics”, so why be so offended when we call Obama’s health care “Obama Care”?