Taft

Parsons III

Taft Parsons III, MD joined Aetna / CVS Health as Vice President and Chief Psychiatric Officer in July 2022. In his role he provides a clinical partnership to Aetna / CVS Health behavioral health and mental well-being, focusing on delivering high-quality, appropriate and cost-effective mental health for our patients, members, customers and communities. Taft came to Aetna / CVS Health from Humana, where he served as their Enterprise Medical Director for Behavioral Health. During his time at Humana, he fully integrated their national clinical services from a carved-out book of business within an owned subsidiary. He has overseen projects within care model design and strategy, value-based contracting and social determinants of health. His personal passion lies in utilizing digital health to improve mental health for patients and members. Prior to Humana, Dr. Parsons was the VP for Behavioral Health at Molina Healthcare, where he insourced carved out BH benefits and built up an integrated centralized BH program.  Before joining Molina, he was a practicing psychiatrist and administrative physician for Henry Ford Health System, where he served as a Medical Director and Hospital Director, supervisor and professor, and inpatient psychiatrist. Dr. Parsons earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Morehouse College in Atlanta and his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the Michigan Psychiatric Society. He has published multiple articles on behavioral health and is a regular educational and advocacy speaker with various academic and social organizations.