NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Quartet Health, a healthcare technology company partnering with health plans and providers to improve the integration between behavioral and medical care, today announced the addition of two executives to the company’s leadership team. Dr. Juliana Ekong, former Vice President and Behavioral Health Medical Director of Anthem’s Government Business Division, and Kevin Sparks, former Chairman of New Directions Behavioral Health, will join the company’s executive ranks.
Dr. Juliana Ekong will lead clinical program development for Quartet Health. Most recently, she ran Behavioral Health for Anthem’s Medicaid and Medicare lines of business, covering over 5 million members and 21 states. Prior to her role with Anthem, Dr. Ekong served as the National Medical Director for Amerigroup, and also held leadership roles in community psychiatry clinics.
“Juliana is an incredibly talented psychiatrist and executive, and we’re excited to bring her behavioral health expertise to bear on such a critical issue in the healthcare system,” says Steve Shulman, former Chairman & CEO of Prudential Healthcare and Magellan Health and current Chairman of Quartet Health. “She will be a great complement to our world-class team and add immense value for our client organizations.”
Kevin Sparks will lead client delivery and operations for the company. He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Cobalt Ventures, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City’s strategic diversification arm. He concurrently held the role of Chairman of the Board at New Directions Behavioral Health, a leading provider of integrated medical and behavioral health care solutions serving over 12 million members. Previously, he held COO and CIO roles with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City.
“Kevin is an outstanding leader with a track record of scaling innovative businesses in the behavioral health space,” said Arun Gupta, Quartet’s Chief Executive Officer. “It is a privilege to be working with a talented group of executives with such distinguished backgrounds. Their commitment to Quartet is a real testament to our mission and the traction we’re getting in the market.”
Sparks and Dr. Ekong join a management team of proven healthcare operators and technologists, including David Lim, M.D., Ph.D., who drove Provider Relations for Castlight Health, Karen Bartlett, former EVP of Operations at Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield, John Camperlengo, former General Counsel for Gentiva Health Services (acquired by Kindred Healthcare), Talya Schwartz, M.D., who led Clinical Strategy for Universal American, and top engineers and data scientists from companies such as Amazon, eClinicalWorks, and Bridgewater Associates.
Quartet raised a Series A earlier this year, led by Annie Lamont at Oak HC/FT, who previously backed companies such as athenahealth and Benefitfocus.
About Quartet Health
Quartet Health is committed to redefining behavioral healthcare delivery. Our technology platform allows seamless communication and collaboration between medical and behavioral health providers, leading to targeted, timely and higher quality patient care. Powered by our advanced data engine, Quartet works with health plans and health systems to provide actionable population insights that improve patient outcomes and reduce overall costs. For more information, please visit www.quartethealth.com.
About Oak HC/FT
Oak HC/FT (http://oakhcft.com/) is the premier venture growth-equity fund investing in Healthcare Information & Services (“HC”) and Financial Services Technology (“FT”). We are focused on driving transformation in these industries by providing entrepreneurs and companies with strategic counsel, board-level participation, business plan execution and access to our extensive network of industry leaders. Oak HC/FT is led by the Healthcare and FinTech team of Oak Investment Partners as part of Oak’s strategy to develop sector-specific funds and continue its legacy of building best-in-class businesses.
