CMO to Augment Health System’s Population Health Efforts and Grow Physician Enterprise

Saint Agnes Healthcare, a member of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and not-for-profit health system, announced today that Nancy Hammond, M.D., has been named chief medical officer (CMO) of Saint Agnes. As CMO, Dr. Hammond will work with Saint Agnes’ leadership team to enhance the hospital’s population health efforts from a clinical perspective and strategically develop Saint Agnes’ physician enterprise to improve health outcomes and reduce costs.

“The healthcare industry is experiencing a significant era of change. We’ve shifted our focus heavily from providing care in the hospital to providing care in the community — and Nancy’s robust medical expertise and proven ability to stay ahead of the changing healthcare landscape made her the perfect fit for our CMO role,” said Keith Vander Kolk, president and CEO of Saint Agnes Healthcare. “I have no doubt that she will bring a great deal of vision and success to not only our leadership team but also our overall physician enterprise.”

Dr. Hammond has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare and has been employed by Saint Agnes since 2005. She is an expert in obstetrics and gynecology, women’s health and perinatal safety. As CMO, she is responsible for leading more than 800 physicians at Saint Agnes and guiding the overall clinical vision for the Saint Agnes Healthcare. She is developing and leading clinical initiatives that will ensure that patients are provided the right care in the right settings at the right cost. Prior to her role as CMO, Dr. Hammond served as the interim CMO as well as chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Agnes.

Dr. Hammond is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University and her Doctor of Medicine from University of Maryland School of Medicine.

About Saint Agnes Healthcare

For more than 150 years, Saint Agnes Healthcare has been dedicated to the art of healing by providing exceptional care to the greater Baltimore area, with a special focus on the poor and vulnerable. Saint Agnes Healthcare offers a full range of services on the hospital campus as well as locations and offerings throughout the community. Saint Agnes encompasses Saint Agnes Hospital, a full-service teaching hospital and the first Catholic hospital in Baltimore founded by the Daughters of Charity in 1862; Saint Agnes Medical Group, an extensive network of primary care, pediatric and OB/GYN physicians and specialists in locations throughout Baltimore and Howard County; Seton Imaging Center, offering the most advanced and safe imaging techniques provided by a team of board-certified radiologists; Gibbons Commons, a 32-acre mixed-use community being developed to improve the overall well-being of the community by providing innovative housing solutions, recreational facilities, healthy food options, urban green space, and medical office and administrative space to southwest Baltimore; and Saint Agnes Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money to strategically expand Saint Agnes, support supplemental education for its healthcare professionals, fund cutting-edge medical equipment and provide patient support. Saint Agnes Healthcare is a part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and not-for-profit health system.

About Ascension?

Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2016, Ascension provided more than $1.8 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Approximately 160,000 associates and 36,000 aligned providers serve in 2,500 sites of care – including 141 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities – in 24 states and the District of Columbia as part of Ascension’s Healthcare Division. Through its Solutions Division, Ascension subsidiaries provide a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension’s own group purchasing organization.