Hansen named to lead Shady Grove

Potomac resident was hospital’s vice president and COO before taking the presidency

‘‘We’re determined to excel in quality and build on compassion and care with a real focus on customer service,” Hansen said in a telephone interview.

He replaces Deborah A. Yancer, who was chosen in February to be chief executive officer of Enloe Medical Center in Chico, Calif.

Hansen, 46, of Potomac has been Shady Grove’s interim president since March. ‘‘We’re committed to being progressive and responsive to the growing needs and diverse needs of the community,” he said.

Hansen cited the hospital’s support of MobileMed, a nonprofit that has provided health care to the county’s uninsured residents for more than 40 years. The hospital provides free lab and diagnostic services.

He also noted Shady Grove’s participation in the Montgomery County Maternity Partnership Program, which serves uninsured pregnant women.

The Rockville hospital has 1,200 doctors and 1,800 employees. It is licensed to have 275 beds. Later this year, Shady Grove will open a new tower that will add 144 beds.

Last year, the hospital opened its Emergency Center in Germantown. State regulators first rejected the plan. The General Assembly passed legislation granting Shady Grove approval to go ahead with the center.

Hansen said the emergency center was being well received, surpassing the hospital’s expectations.

According to state statistics from 2005, the most recent year available, Shady Grove was Maryland’s 15th largest acute care hospital, with $207.3 million in operating expenses. The hospital was the third largest in Montgomery County, behind Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring and Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park.

Hansen came to Shady Grove in 2006 after working 10 years for the Centura Health System in Denver, where he was a vice president at the Littleton Adventist Hospital from 2002 to 2006.

He holds an MBA from the University of California, Irvine and a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Loma Linda University.