Maryland Covered Entity

Ascension Saint Agnes operates a full-service teaching hospital founded more than 150 years ago, in addition to locations and offerings throughout the greater Baltimore area through Ascension Saint Agnes Medical Group, Seton Imaging Center and Saint Agnes Foundation, which together employ more than 3,000 associates. Ascension Saint Agnes also owns Gibbons Commons, a 32-acre mixed-use community being developed to improve the overall well-being of the community.

Ascension Saint Agnes has participated in the 340B program for more than three years. In FY2023, Ascension Saint Agnes benefits totaled $14.2 million from the program. These benefits have helped Ascension Saint Agnes to expand healthcare services and programs within its Health Institute, whose purpose is to provide community health programs designed to meet the surrounding communities’ health needs. In 2023, Ascension Saint Agnes provided $29.1 million in charitable care, which includes uncompensated care, community benefits and program costs for those who are impoverished.

The areas surrounding Ascension Saint Agnes have a diverse socioeconomic composition with a mix of urban and suburban communities that are consistent with the range of communities found in any large metropolitan region. Residents in the urban service areas are challenged with numerous socio-economic issues that create barriers to basic primary care. Because of this lack of access to basic primary care, many residents use the Ascension Saint Agnes emergency department for much-needed primary care. Additionally, there is a high prevalence of chronic illness, behavioral health needs, and substance use disorder in the service area, which creates a significant need for effective care navigation and coordination to improve health outcomes in the surrounding community. The hospital’s 340B benefits help it address these many complex challenges in providing much-needed healthcare services to the community.

Programs enhanced by 340B benefits:

• Palliative Care Program: investment in palliative care educational tools, resources and outreach to educate patients and their families with chronic disease around palliative care and the importance of advanced directives within the hospital’s Community CHF, COPD and Oncology Clinics.
• Post-acute Healthcare Services and Transportation: post-acute healthcare services, which include:
  • Prescription voucher programs.
  • Food voucher program.
  • Care in the Gap program that offers personal aid to vulnerable populations in their homes not covered by payers.
  • Transportation Program: Ascension Saint Agnes provides free transportation services primarily for patients identified at high risk for admission to and from outpatient appointments including primary care and specialist appointments.
• Food delivery program for chronic disease patients: through three vendors depending on patient needs (groceries, week of meals, or hot meals daily delivered).
• Creation of Asthma and Trauma Informed Care programs with local area public schools.
• Hope Counseling Program: integrated mental health counseling into a primary care site free of charge.
• Community Expansion of Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and Million Hearts: the program originally was available in hospital based clinics only. The program has expanded to underserved communities in area community centers, churches, synagogues, etc.

Learn more about Ascension Saint Agnes Community Benefit.