According to the report, Seattle-based Qliance Medical Management typically charges each patient around $65 a month. The fee allows the patient unlimited access to the practice’s 12 physicians and nurse practitioners, and evening and weekend hours are available. Patients can also receive discounts on medication and receive routine preventive care and other in-office procedures for free; lab work and other outside services are paid for “at or near” cost, according to the report.
Direct-pay primary care is becoming more popular as providers look to decrease cost and decrease the power of payors on their compensation. Some practices follow the conventional “concierge” model, aimed at wealthier patients, but others charge more reasonable fees and target middle-income patients who want a more in-depth relationship with their provider.
Read the Washington Post report on direct-pay primary care.
Read more on concierge or direct-pay medicine:
–Physicians Rethink Traditional Practice, Consider Hospital Employment in Increasing Numbers
–Will Patients Pay for Concierge Medicine?
–5 Questions to Ask When Considering Concierge Medicine
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