Tampa General Hospital Acquires USF Health Ambulatory Surgery Center

The TGH Surgery Center at Morsani will continue to provide leading outpatient surgery services as part of the hospital’s expanding network. 

Tampa, FL (Nov. 2, 2021) – Taking another bold step in its new affiliation with the University of South Florida,Tampa General Hospital has acquired the USF Ambulatory Surgery Center, further expanding the hospital’s reach and resources with the addition of the acclaimed ambulatory surgery center.

Located within the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare on USF’s Tampa campus, the facility will now be known as the TGH Surgery Center at Morsani and will carry on and build upon the work of the USF Health Ambulatory Surgery Center. 

“Acquiring this widely respected surgery center not only strengthens our partnership with USF Health Morsani College of Medicine but also greatly enhances our outpatient services,” said John Couris, Tampa General president and CEO. 

Ambulatory outpatient surgery centers provide the services for surgeries and procedures not requiring overnight hospital stays. Under its former name, the facility received numerous recognitions, including fourth best in Florida by Newsweek’s 2022 rankings of America's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) based on a survey of nurses, therapists, physicians and surgeons, and administrators at ASCs in the state. Participants evaluated quality of care, performance data and peer recommendations relative to in-state surgery centers, and also considered how well centers have responded to the threat of COVID-19. Other accolades for the facility include:

• Recognized recently by the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the industry’s leader in setting endoscopy standards of excellence.

• Accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), certifying that it meets and exceeds nationally recognized standards of quality care.

“The TGH Surgery Center at Morsani is a great compliment to our outpatient surgery services and will extend access to Tampa General’s network of academic medical center surgeons across Hillsborough County,” said Adam Smith, executive vice president and chief ambulatory officer, Tampa General.

In addition to the TGH Surgery Center at Morsani, Tampa General’s outpatient surgery center locations include The Surgery Center at TGH Brandon Healthplex which is an ambulatory surgery center that opened in April of 2017 as a multispecialty surgical center specializing in outpatient surgical procedures, and outpatient surgery at the main hospital location on Davis Islands. 

Tampa General and USF Health Morsani College of Medicine announced a broadened affiliation in the summer of 2020, named University of South Florida Tampa General Physicians. A national search is currently underway for a leader of the organization, which creates a combined management services organization with more than 800 health care providers under a unified management structure, making it one of the largest academic medical groups in the state of Florida. The united group fortifies the long-standing relationship between TGH and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the leading academic medical center on the west coast of Florida.

“The alliance between USF Health and Tampa General Hospital – and this exciting new development with our ambulatory surgery center – is great news for patients and their families,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “The TGH Surgery Center at Morsani is one more powerful way that we will deliver top-quality care to the Tampa Bay region.”

The advanced multidisciplinary center is equipped with the latest technology, along with integrated operating rooms that allow physicians to communicate with experts at other locations. Suites were designed with patient safety and comfort in mind, and offer four fully equipped and integrated operating rooms, five endoscopy suites, and a 33 bed pre- and post-operative recovery room. The acquisition was completed Nov. 1 and will begin serving patients Nov. 8. 

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,041-bed non-profit academic medical center, 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 & World Report's 2021-22 Best Hospitals, and one of the top 4 hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. The academic medical center’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious 2021 Forbes magazine rankings – America’s Best Employers by State, third out of 100 Florida companies and first among health care and social organizations and 13th nationally in America’s Best Employers for Women. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal 2020 provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 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 five 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 Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 19 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track.  As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost.  For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

ABOUT USF HEALTH

USF Health's mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the Taneja College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, and USF Health’s multispecialty physicians group. The University of South Florida is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News & World Report’s national university rankings than USF. For more information, visit health.usf.edu.