EAGAN, Minn. (November 1, 2023) – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) today announced that Brett Hart has joined the organization as vice president of behavioral health and mental health parity. In this role, Hart leads enterprise-wide initiatives to optimize Blue Cross’ behavioral and mental health services, including health equity goals and mental health parity.
Hart joins Blue Cross from Centene Corporation in St. Louis, where he served in a variety of senior leadership capacities, including chief behavioral health officer, president and CEO of Cenpatico Behavior Health (a subsidiary of Centene) and, most recently, chief operating officer for Medical Strategy. Prior to Centene Corporation, Hart held various regional and national clinical operations roles at Optum over the course of 19 years.
“Our commitment to serving the behavioral health needs of our members and the communities we support is stronger than ever, and Brett’s extensive experience will be of tremendous benefit as we continue to advance those strategies,” said Mark Steffen, MD, SVP and chief medical officer for Blue Cross. “His thoughtful approach to transformation and collaboration, combined with proven leadership on advancing mental health issues, makes Brett the right person to be driving the strategic mission and objectives of our Behavioral Health area.”
Hart holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from Saint Louis University and has served as a medical psychologist at Washington University School of Medicine, where he provided assessment and psychotherapy for patients in a hospital setting. Hart has been a panelist at the White House, a member of a European Union Advisory Council, and has presented at numerous national conferences. In addition, he has authored several articles in scientific journal publications.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
For 90 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (bluecrossmn.com) has supported the health, wellbeing and peace of mind of our members by striving to ensure equitable access to high quality care at an affordable price. Our 2.5 million members can be found in every Minnesota county, all 50 states and on four continents. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.