Tampa General Hospital Innovation Programs Honored by Becker's Hospital Review

The academic hospital system has been recognized by a leading health industry publication for its accomplishments in driving innovation for the improvement of the care experience.

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) has been named to Becker's Hospital Review's 2023 list of "34 Hospital and Health System Innovation Programs to Know." This award demonstrates national recognition for leading-edge innovation programs and pioneering discoveries to improve and enhance patient outcomes.

"Tampa General Hospital is committed to driving innovation and leveraging technology to improve health care quality and outcomes, increase patient access and contain costs," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "Through the development of new partnerships, targeted collaborations and strategic planning and execution, we have been able to scale programs to put the patient at the center of world-class care. This recognition is a testament to the innovative thinking and execution of our team across the organization."

TGH Innoventures, the academic health system's corporate venture capital arm and specialized team dedicated to identifying and sourcing the latest technology and newest ideas, is at the center of innovation at TGH. TGH Innoventures partners with and invests in emerging health care companies that are redefining the care experience, spurring change and improving everyday life for team members, clinicians and patients. In that spirit of innovating through collaboration, TGH Innoventures launched a Co-Lab program, which provides problem-solving startups and entrepreneurs with the resources necessary to turn a good idea into transformative action. Simultaneously, TGH Innoventures looks internally to develop solutions through initiatives including IdeaMVP and IdeaHQ, which create opportunities for crowdsourcing and idea-sharing among TGH team members who are eager to solve real-world problems.

Tampa General also partners with GE Healthcare, and both organizations collaborated to build the academic health system's CareComm command center using GE's proprietary Command Center software. Since its creation and operational deployment within the system, insights from CareComm have allowed Tampa General to develop a successful early warning and management system for sepsis, decrease the average length of hospital stay and reduce emergency room diversion. 

Tampa General has also leveraged the artificial intelligence technology of its partner, Palantir, to develop an integrated software program that includes the use of predictive models to help improve hospital operations and patient outcomes. Results thus far have led to a reduction in patient hold time in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), an improved nurse staffing ratio, and a more time-effective patient placement process that provides proactive and real-time data on key hospital statistics.

In 2022, the academic health system launched TGH at Home, an innovative program through which patients receive daily in-home visits from health care providers, virtual visits and around-the-clock remote patient monitoring. In addition to providing access to best-in-class hospital care to patients at home, TGH at Home has demonstrably reduced the risk of readmission for participating patients.  

"By embracing new and proactive strategies, we are able to better care for our patients and improve their experience," said Scott Arnold, executive vice president and chief digital and innovation officer at Tampa General. "We will continue exploring the newest tools and techniques to advance the way we take care of our patients. I'm proud of our accomplishments and of our continued efforts to push the boundaries of what is possible in health care."

This recognition of Tampa General's innovation programs follows the inclusion of Arnold and Rachel Feinman, Tampa General's vice president of Innovation and managing director of TGH Innoventures, in Becker's Hospital Review's 2023 list of "Hospital and Health System Chief Innovation Officers to Know."

Becker's Hospital Review is a leading source of hospital business news and analysis for the health care industry. Tampa General and the rest of the "34 Hospital and Health System Innovation Programs to Know" honorees are profiled online here.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News and World Report's 2023-24 Best Hospitals, with six specialties ranking among the top 50 best hospital programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women and top 25 in Florida in the 2023 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes TGH North which is comprised of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties, 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Outpatient Center, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org).  As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APR
Senior Communications Specialist
(727) 510-6363 (cell)
[email protected]

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SOURCE Tampa General Hospital