Equality Health Appoints Garrett E. Black as Chief Operating Officer
Former Stella Diversified president becomes CEO of Equality Health
Equality Health, a leading provider of value-based physician networks uniquely equipped to address the needs of diverse and historically underserved populations, announced the appointment of Garrett Black as chief operating officer. Mr. Black joins Equality Health after spending more than a decade at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (BCBSMN), where he served most recently as president of Stella Diversified, a portfolio of innovative healthcare companies. As a member of the Equality Health executive team, Mr. Black will report to Founder and CEO Hugh Lytle.
“Garrett brings an exceptional track record of developing high-performing, diverse leadership teams and managing large-scale clinical and business operations within both provider and health plan organizations,” Mr. Lytle said. “The talent of our team has always set Equality Health apart, and the fact that we’ve attracted someone with Garrett’s ability is yet another testament to the vitality of our platform.”
In his previous role with Stella Diversified, Mr. Black had P&L responsibility for managing and growing a national portfolio of diversified healthcare businesses strategically aligned with BCBSMN. During his tenure with BCBSMN, he served in a series of strategic leadership positions including senior vice president of Enterprise Solutions, senior vice president of Health Services, and vice president of Network Management. Prior to joining BCBSMN, Mr. Black was chief strategy officer for Children’s Minnesota, one of the nation’s largest pediatric healthcare providers, and director of Strategic Development for Allina Health.
Mr. Black earned a Master of Healthcare Administration and an MBA from the University of Minnesota, and a BA from Marquette University. He currently serves as National Industry Council Member with the University of Minnesota’s Medical Industry Leadership Institute. Previously, he served as chairman of the Multi-Payer Alignment Task Force of the MN Accountable Health Model, and was a board member with the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota. A frequent speaker at industry events, Mr. Black has shared insights on a broad range of topics including alternative payment models, accountable care organizations, and the transformation of payer-provider relationships to advance value-based care.
