Elevance Behavioral Health Welcomes New President
Carelon Behavioral Health, a division of Elevance, announced that Dr. Patrick Fox has assumed the role of president effective immediately, succeeding Corbin Petro. Fox brings thirty years of clinical psychiatry and behavioral health leadership experience and previously served as president of Wellpoint New Jersey. Concurrently, Patrick Gillespie has taken over as president of Wellpoint New Jersey.
Name:Dr. Patrick Fox
Previous position:President of Wellpoint New Jersey
New position:President of Carelon Behavioral Health
Elevance, an Indianapolis-based insurer, announced on Monday that Fox has assumed the top role at its behavioral health division effective immediately.
Fox has a thirty-year career in clinical psychiatry, behavioral health, and health plan management. Previously, he served as president of Wellpoint New Jersey, which provides Elevance-related Medicare Advantage and Medicaid insurance in New Jersey. Earlier, he led Elevance's Medicaid health plan in Colorado.
Before joining Elevance in 2020, Fox taught forensic psychiatry at Yale University, served as the head of a maximum-security forensic hospital in Connecticut, directed Colorado's Office of Behavioral Health, and served as Chief Medical Officer of the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Kristy Duffey, president of Carelon Health, said in a statement that Fox "understands the challenges of behavioral health from clinical, operational, and systemic levels," and added that "this breadth of experience will be invaluable in improving access to care, strengthening connections within the healthcare system, and driving better outcomes for the populations we serve."
According to Elevance, Carelon Behavioral Health serves more than 61 million members nationwide and describes itself as one of the largest behavioral health platforms in the U.S. Elevance acquired the assets in 2020 through its purchase of Beacon Health Options, a large independent behavioral health company, and renamed it Carelon Behavioral Health in 2023.
The division provides clinical mental health, substance use disorder management, specialized programs for conditions such as autism and depression, and other behavioral health services to health plans, employers, government agencies, and healthcare providers.
Demand for such services continues to grow as conditions like depression and anxiety become more common and the stigma of seeking mental health care fades.
Fox succeeds Corbin Petro, who was appointed president of Carelon Behavioral Health in 2024. When asked about the reason for Petro's replacement, an Elevance spokesperson said the company does not comment on personnel matters.
Elevance also announced on Monday that Patrick Gillespie, currently regional vice president of state affairs, will succeed Fox as president of Wellpoint New Jersey. Before joining the company in 2016, Gillespie served as a state lobbyist for Cigna.
Elevance has been restructuring its executive team to boost profits in its core insurance business and capitalize on growth opportunities at Carelon. The company announced a series of mid-level executive appointments in March, a month after elevating Chief Financial Officer Mark Kaye to head of Carelon and consolidating its health plans.