Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) and Doctors Community Health System (DCHS) announce that they have solidified their partnership. After sharing their intent to partner in May, the two organizations signed a definitive agreement at the end of June and closed July 1, 2019. This transaction will allow them to move forward with plans to form a new health system to serve the region.
“The new health system will reimagine community care, improving access and population health while expanding services throughout Maryland,” said Victoria Bayless, president and CEO of AAMC. “We will continue our community focus and provide the personalized and localized care that our patients need. We want to ensure that the care our patients receive is from those who know the region and have a longstanding commitment to meeting the needs of our communities.”
Bayless will also serve as chief executive officer of the new system. Paul Grenaldo, who served as chief operating officer at DCHS since 2010, will succeed Philip Down as president of DCHS. Down will serve as strategic advisor to the new health system.
“This is an amazing time for healthcare at each entity and in our communities,” said Grenaldo. “With Doctors Community Health System and Anne Arundel Medical Center engaged as partners in this integration process, we have an amazing opportunity to design a system that is keenly focused on addressing the evolving medical needs of area residents and contributing to the ongoing development of a highly talented workforce. Working together, we will reach even higher levels of excellence throughout Maryland.”
AAMC and DCHS will initially maintain their own governing boards with both organizations having representation on the board of the new health system. A name for the new health system will be announced later this summer. The full integration is expected to take up to two years.
“Our vision is to create an exceptional system of care that honors the legacies of both DCHS and AAMC, while being aspirational about our future together,” said Bayless. “Ultimately, we are here to serve our communities and to do so in a way that reimagines the possibilities of community health for the region.”
