Name: Amar Desai

Previous title: President and Chief Executive Officer, Optum Pacific West

New title: President, healthcare delivery, CVS Health

Effective Oct. 17, Desai will lead CVS’ newly created healthcare delivery division, overseeing implementation of CVS’ health services and care delivery strategy, according to a release from the Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based company. That includes CVS’ clinical delivery strategy in retail health, chronic disease management and behavioral health.

The division will work to link different aspects of CVS’ portfolio to develop payer-agnostic products and services, according to CEO Karen Lynch.

Desai previously served as CEO of UnitedHealth’s Optum Pacific West, an integrated delivery network with more than 20,000 physicians. Before Optum, Desai was president of value-based medical group HealthCare Partners.

CVS has been investing heavily in its healthcare delivery services as it angles to become a full-service healthcare provider, particularly in primary care clinics, home healthcare and telemedicine. The company, which owns large payer Aetna, is currently undergoing a major revamp of its stores, and plans to add a few hundred primary care centers to its network of MinuteClinics, drugstores and health-focused HealthHUB locations.

And in September, CVS entered into a definitive agreement to buy homecare provider Signify Health for $8 billion, with Lynch saying at the time the purchase would allow CVS to design new care delivery models.