Qliance of Downtown Seattle - Providers
Garrison Bliss, MD
Internal Medicine, (Practice closed)
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine
Education: University of Utah School of Medicine, MD; Harvard University, BA - Biology
Residency: University of Washington Academic Track, Internal Medicine
Languages: EnglishDr. Garrison Bliss is an internist with 30 years of experience as a primary care physician. He has been rated by his peers as one of the top physicians in Washington on numerous occasions. Dr. Bliss founded Seattle Medical Associates in 1980 and is widely regarded as a pioneer in changing the way quality health care services are provided and financed. Frustrated with the poor performance and low service inherent in traditional insurance-based medicine, Dr. Bliss helped reinvent Seattle Medical in 1997 to offer high quality, patient-centered primary care services for an affordable fixed monthly fee. Qliance Medical Group is the vehicle that will take his vision for delivering the highest quality primary and preventive care to the next level, both regionally and nationally.
Dr. Bliss has been active nationally in the Society for Innovative Medical Practice Design, serving tenure as President and most recently Chairman of the Board. His expertise has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Medical Economics and many other news and trade publications. He was named as one of the 25 top entrepreneurs and innovators by the Seattle Business Monthly in 2006. Dr. Bliss has been passionate about medical ethical issues for many years and has served as chairman of the King County Medical Practice and Ethics Committee, King County Grievance Committee and the Judicial Counsel of the Washington State Medical Association.
Dr. Bliss received his BA in Biology from Harvard University and his MD from the University of Utah. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Washington. Although Dr. Bliss’ practice is currently closed to new patients, as Chief Medical Officer for Qliance Medical Group, he consults regularly with other Qliance providers.
Susan Casabona, MD
Internal Medicine, (Qliance Level 2 provider, practice open)
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine
Education: Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, Associate Bachelor – Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA, Medical Doctor ~ 1979
Residency: Providence Medical Center, Portland, OR
Language: EnglishDr. Casabona is a graduate of the Medical College of Virginia, graduation in 1979. She received her undergraduate degree in French Literature from Mount Holyoke College. She completed her Medical Residency at Providence Medical Center in Portland, Oregon focusing on Internal Medicine. In 2008, Dr. Casabona began to practice privately from 1983 until joining Minor & James Medical in 1987. In 2008, Dr. Casabona made the transition to Qliance and is continuing to provide her expertise in Internal Medicine to Seattle area residents.
Dr. Casabona is excited to be a part of Qliance and looks forward to providing exceptional, in depth and comprehensive care to her patients. Her interests include women’s health care and psychological aspects of wellbeing. In her free time, Dr. Casabona enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters and friends. She enjoys gardening, playing tennis and skiing.
Lili Sacks, MD
Internal Medicine, (Qliance Level 2 provider, practice open)
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine
Education: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, Bachelor of Arts, with Highest Honors – University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, Medical Doctor ~ 1990
Residency: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Language: EnglishDr. Lili Sacks comes to Qliance with expertise in internal medicine. Dr. Sacks received her undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago and her medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine. Dr. Sacks followed her residency at the University of Washington with work at Harborview Medical Center in the AIDS Clinical Trials Unit from 1993-1995. She joined Minor & James Medical in 1995 until joining Qliance in 2008.
Dr. Sacks’ special interests include women’s health and HIV medicine. In her free time, Dr. Sacks enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, cooking and listening to music.
Frances Broyles, MD
Endocrine & Internal Medicine, (Qliance Level 2 provider)Photo coming soon!
Specialty: Endocrine & Internal Medicine
Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology
Education: University of Florida - Bachelor of Science, Interdisciplinary Biological Medicine;
University of Flordia - MD
Residency: Presbyterian Hospital - Dallas, TX
Language: EnglishFrances Broyles is the newest addition to Qliance and is pleased to bring her teamwork focused approach to medicine to the next level. Dr. Broyles has extensive education and training in internal and endocrinology. She received her medical degree at the University of Florida, and enjoyed an internship at Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. After completing her residency in internal medicine, Dr. Broyles acted as Chief Resident of Internal Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Upon moving to Seattle, Dr. Broyles acted as Senior Fellow in the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism at the University of Washington.
Dr. Broyles is a member of the American College of Physicians, the King County Medical Society, Alpha Omega Alpha, The Washington State Medical Association and has recently been ranked as one of Seattle Magazine's Top Doctors in Endocrinology and Metabolism as well as an Outstanding Woman in Medicine.
In her spare time Dr. Broyles enjoys spending time with her family, reading and practicing her yoga poses. She also acts an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Melissa Wolin, MD
Family Medicine, (Qliance Level 1 provider, practice open)
Specialty: Family Medicine
Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
Education: University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine, MD;
University of Missouri, BA - Biology
Residency: New Mexico Health Sciences - University of Albuquerque
Language: EnglishMelissa Wolin is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. She received her medical degree at the University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine, and completed residency training in Family Medicine at the New Mexico Health Sciences University in Albuquerque. She obtained further expertise in rural health and high-risk obstetrics through the Rural Family Medicine Fellowship at Tacoma General Hospital. After completing her fellowship, Dr. Wolin practiced full spectrum family medicine as the only full-time physician in Shingletown, a small, rural community 30 miles east of Redding, California. She recently relocated to Seattle to be closer to family and to have greater access to the variety of restaurants and culture of the area.
Dr. Wolin chose the specialty of Family Medicine so she could care for patients throughout their entire life cycle, from newborns to grandparents. She has a particular interest in women’s health, travel medicine and patient education. She has also made several trips to Africa and Guatemala to do volunteer medical work and enjoys treating patients from diverse backgrounds.
Dr. Wolin is excited to continue to serve her community by bringing a new healthcare choice to the people of Seattle. She looks forward to creating a trusting relationship with her patients by offering exceptional, compassionate care to those who are seeking an alternative to the traditional insurance-based care model. In her spare time, she is looking forward to continuing her yoga practice, developing her gardening skills, rollerblading, and exploring Seattle’s outdoor beauty through hiking and cross-country skiing.
Cate Withrow
ARNP Family Medicine, (Qliance Level 1 provider, practice open)
Specialty: Family Medicine
Certification: American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification for Family Practice
Education: Seattle University, MSN; University of Colorado, BA - Biology
Language: EnglishCate grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder. With a degree in biology and desire to enter the health care field, she went to work for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. There, she provided direct patient care through health education and clinical services.
With a desire to assist patients to make lasting health changes, Cate went on to further her education and become a Nurse Practitioner. She graduated with a Master in Science of Nursing from Seattle University in August 2004. Her specialty is Family Practice. After graduation, Cate moved to Kodiak, Alaska to practice full spectrum family medicine in a rural and remote area. In that setting she was able to provide comprehensive primary health care as part of a small community. This experience reinforced her belief that health care encompasses the whole person and treats illness within the family and community context.
Within family practice, Cate particularly enjoys adolescent medicine, women’s health, disease prevention and health education. Cate is very excited about the opportunity to practice at Qliance, where she looks forward to having the time to get to know her patients, their health concerns and their families. She is committed to helping her patients make lasting health changes and to working to improve the overall health of not only the individual, but also of the community.
In her free time, Cate enjoys being outside running, cycling, and hiking with her husband Rick and their black lab Sadie.
Rick Morgan, MD
Family Medicine, (Qliance Level 1 provider, practice open)
Specialty: Family Medicine
Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
Education: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center - Medical School; University of Colorado, BA - Geography
Residency: Swedish Family Medicine Residency Program, Seattle, WA
Language: EnglishDr. Rick Morgan grew up in Colorado, graduating high school in Fort Collins and obtaining a B.A. in Geography from University of Colorado at Boulder. His medical degree is from the University of Colorado Health Sciences in Denver. After finishing his medical training at Swedish Family Medicine Residency, Dr. Morgan moved to Kodiak, Alaska where he practiced full-spectrum family medicine including obstetrics and emergency medicine. He also served as the medical director of the Kodiak Community Health Center, and most recently worked at Swedish Physicians in Queen Anne.
Dr. Morgan enjoys providing patient centered care to people of all ages. He values time face to face with his patients and their families, and appreciates the trust patients place in their providers. He has a special interest in pediatrics, sports medicine and injuries, and chronic disease management. He is very excited about being part of Qliance because it is a promising new model for access to health care with the goal of removing barriers between health care providers and their patients. Dr. Morgan is energized by the ability to provide personal, convenient care to people who haven’t had that opportunity in the past, whether it is for an urgent issue or routine preventive care.
In his spare time, Dr. Morgan, his wife Cate, and black Lab Sadie like to take in what the Pacific Northwest has to offer, whether it’s hiking or biking outdoors, or enjoying great food and entertainment with friends in the city.
Erika Bliss, MD, FAAFP
Family Medicine, (Qliance Level 1 provider, practice closed)
Specialty: Family Medicine
Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
Education: University of California at San Diego-School of Medicine, MD; Stanford University, MA-Latin American Studies; San Francisco State University, BA-History
Residency: Swedish Family Medicine Residency Program, Seattle, WA
Language: English, Spanish
Dr. Erika Bliss is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree in history from San Francisco State University and a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies from Stanford. She completed her medical training at the Swedish Family Medicine Residency Program in Seattle in 2003. She worked briefly for the Community Health Centers of King County before accepting a permanent position at Carolyn Downs Family Medical Center in Seattle, where she served as a staff physician, Clinical Site Director, and Director of Clinical Quality.
Dr. Bliss has traveled extensively in Mexico and Central America. There she collaborated with a local women’s health and human rights group to do research, including a video project, on domestic violence. In addition, she developed and implemented a medical education exchange program with a rural hospital in Honduras. While in medical school, Dr. Bliss was a founding member of the Free Clinic Project of San Diego, a student-run project that delivers primary care to homeless and indigent people. Not only has Dr. Bliss focused on direct patient care, she has also been involved in organized medicine and health policy through her work with the American Academy of Family Physicians. Additionally, she served on the education task force for the Future of Family Medicine Project, a national effort to chart the direction of Family Medicine for future decades. She is a member of the board of the Washington Academy of Family Physicians, and serves on the steering committee of P4, Preparing the Personal Physician for Practice, a project to transform family medicine residency training in the US. In 2009, she was elected to serve on the American Board of Family Medicine, the organization that oversees certification and continuing education requirements for family physicians across the US. Dr. Bliss is delighted to be a part of the Qliance team and values providing personalized, high quality and convenient care to the people of Seattle. Her special interests include chronic disease management, care of children, geriatric medicine and mental health issues. Dr. Bliss feels that building relationships that empower patients to take charge of their health is the most important part of her work, and has a particular interest in studying and working on communications between healthcare providers and their patients.Dr. Bliss lives with her family in Kirkland. In her spare time she enjoys travel, cooking, hiking and taking in the many movies and cultural events in the Seattle area.
