What is direct primary care and why is it appealing?

Direct primary care (DPC) is a practice model where patients pay a flat monthly fee directly to their physician for unlimited primary care access, without any insurance billing. The monthly fee eliminates insurance overhead, allowing physicians to carry smaller panels (400-600 patients vs 2,000+ in traditional practice), spend more time with each patient, and provide same-day access. Studies consistently show higher patient satisfaction and lower downstream healthcare utilisation.

Did the direct primary care model survive Qliance?

Yes. Hundreds of independent direct primary care practices operate across the US, and the DPC movement has continued to grow. Larger platforms like Iora Health (acquired by One Medical) also built on DPC principles. The difference is that successful DPC practices have often found ways to reduce overhead, target more affluent patient populations with higher willingness to pay, or partner with employer groups that subsidise the monthly fee.

Why did prominent investors like Jeff Bezos back Qliance?

Bezos and other tech investors saw a structurally broken US healthcare system and believed a subscription primary care model could disrupt it. The clinical evidence supporting DPC was strong and the concept of removing insurance friction from primary care aligned with tech investors' preference for direct, friction-free consumer relationships. The investment thesis was correct at the level of the model; the Seattle unit economics were the failure point.

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// HALL OF FLAME · STARTUP AUTOPSY

Founded	2007
Closed	2017
Country	USA
Sector	Healthtech
Total raised	30
Collapse type	Silent Shutdown
Founder	Garrison Bliss, Erika Bliss

Qliance

"Jeff Bezos-backed direct primary care network that proved the model worked but couldn't reach financial sustainability"

$30M

RAISED

—

EMPLOYEES

120

MONTHS

unit economicsSilent Shutdown

Quiet closure with no public announcement

// Fatal mistake: Direct primary care unit economics in high-cost urban Seattle required physician panel density and patient retention that the company never achieved at sufficient scale to cover clinic operating costs.

Key Events Timeline

2007-01

FOUNDING

Qliance founded

2012-06

DOWN ROUND

Down round or bridge financing

2017-06

SHUTDOWN

Silent Shutdown: Qliance ceases operations

🔥 Hall of Flame 25%🏆 Hall of Fame 35%

Qliance was founded in 2007 by physicians Garrison Bliss and Erika Bliss on a simple and powerful premise: primary care is more effective and more affordable when it is not intermediated by insurance billing.

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More Healthtech →More from USA →More unit economics failures →Raised: 30

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// THE HEALTHTECH GRAVEYARD DOESN'T END HERE

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