The Only Way To Fix Health Care Is To Break The Current Business Model, Advocates Say
Backers of direct primary care, which is an alternative payment model that operates with a flat membership fee, want Amazon's Jeff Bezos to incorporate the strategy into his new health care venture with JP Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway.
Stat:
Bezos Has Invested In Direct Primary Care. Could It Be In Amazon's Future?
It’s the stuff disruptors dream of. A group of Seattle doctors and investors had a plan to revolutionize primary care by freeing themselves, and their patients, from the dictates of insurance. They would charge a monthly membership fee for delivering on-demand medical services. No insurance bureaucracy. No reimbursement delays. No incomprehensible bills. In 2010, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos became one of the project’s biggest investors, providing an infusion of capital and the instant credibility his name conveys. The company, called Qliance (pronounced Key-liance), scored early successes in Seattle but faltered amid a series of financial setbacks. It closed its doors last summer. (Ross, 4/18)
In other health industry news —
Reuters:
Ford Expands U.S. Medical Ride Business Built Around Its Vans
Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday that it was expanding a medical transport service called GoRide in Southeast Michigan, one of several efforts by the U.S. automaker to build new ride service businesses around its Transit commercial van. Under a multi-year agreement with Michigan healthcare system Beaumont Health, Ford will use Transit vans to transport patients to medical appointments, or from hospitals to home or rehabilitation centers. (White, 4/18)
