Tampa General Hospital President and CEO John Couris Receives National and Regional Recognition for Leadership

Published: Feb 24, 2022

Couris is honored to receive the Tampa Bay Chamber’s H.L. Culbreath Jr. Profile in Leadership Award and to be named to the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 25 People to Watch in 2022, the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2022 Power 100 guide, and Becker’s Hospital Review 113 Great Leaders in Healthcare 2022.

 

 

Tampa, FL (Feb. 24, 2022) – Tampa General Hospital President and CEO John Couris has championed innovation and led the team in improving safety, quality, and cost since taking the helm in 2017. This visionary leadership of the academic medical center was recently recognized by prominent organizations, including the Tampa Bay Chamber, Tampa Bay Business Journal and Becker’s Hospital Review.

 

Tampa Bay Chamber H.L. Culbreath Jr. Profile in Leadership Award

Named in honor of its first recipient, H.L. Culbreath Jr., a man whose civic philanthropy and long service personified leadership, the award has quickly become the area’s most prestigious honor.

 

“The purpose of the H.L. Culbreath Jr. Profile in Leadership Award is to recognize an individual whose leadership has made a positive impact within the Tampa Bay community. John Couris was selected for leading the region through the pandemic and collaborating with hospital systems statewide to improve health outcomes related to COVID-19,” said Dr. Bob Rohrlack, CCE, president and CEO, Tampa Bay Chamber. For a list of previous recipients, click here.  

 

Tampa Bay Business Journal 25 People to Watch in 2022 List and Power 100 Ranking

The Tampa Bay Business Journal recognized Couris in two ways – naming him to the 25 People to Watch in 2022 list and ranking him as one of the Tampa Bay region’s most influential businesspeople.

 

25 People to Watch in 2022 – The Tampa Bay Business Journal news team developed predictions on who and what will dominate business headlines in 2022. The Business Journal noted that Couris’ “vision extends well beyond the hospital’s physical campus.” Tampa General’s $550 million master facility plan, its focus on building a medical district in downtown Tampa, along with Couris’ involvement in economic development were referenced as examples of his foresight in emphasizing quality and affordable health care as essential to the region’s growth. To see more information, click here. (Subscription required.)

Power 100 – The Business Journal describes the Power 100 as “a guide that aims to reflect who are the most influential businesspeople in Tampa Bay at this moment in time.” The list was selected by the editorial staff and publisher of the Business Journal. Individuals from across Tampa Bay comprise the Power 100 list. Criteria assessed included leadership qualities and whether a candidate shapes the path and fortunes of the regional business community beyond their business and industry. For more on the Power 100, click here. (Subscription required.)

 

Becker’s Hospital Review 113 Great Leaders in Healthcare 2022

Becker’s Healthcare, a national media platform for American health care, named Couris to its Great Leaders in Healthcare list, noting that “since 2017, he has led the hospital with a focus on creating a culture of kindness and authenticity, driving innovation and operational excellence.” “Health care needs strong leaders now more than ever to navigate their organizations through the pandemic and digital transformation,” Becker’s Healthcare also stated. For more information on the Great Leaders list, click here.

 

“It truly is an honor to receive these recognitions and to be in the company of such a distinguished group of honorees, whose examples of community service, philanthropy, visionary leadership, and exemplary business acumen are beyond compare,” said Couris. “In addition, I want to thank my family as well as my stellar team at Tampa General, who in large part are directly responsible for these accolades.”

 

Examples of innovation and collaboration Couris has led since becoming the president and CEO of Tampa General in 2017 include:

  • Hospital at Home--Planned to launch in Spring 2022, Tampa General will begin offering Hospital at Home services which provide patients with hospital-level care at home. Patient care is coordinated through in-home visits from care providers, secure remote monitoring and virtual visits. Hospital at Home has been shown to reduce costs, improve outcomes and enhance the patient experience.

  • Launching the institution’s largest master facility plan – In September 2021, Tampa General announced its largest master facility plan in the hospital’s history, a $550 million capital commitment to bring the most advanced technology and innovative care to patients through a growing medical district in downtown Tampa to create a new model of care to ultimately create a healthier population.

  • A new endeavor: TGH Innoventures – Since the first quarter of 2021, TGH Innoventures provides a coordinated mechanism for Tampa General to develop innovative solutions to improve quality and access to care. Initial projects include TGH Innoventures’ investment in Virtue, a nationally experienced early-stage health care venture capital fund, and a collaboration with the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) to identify innovative solutions from Israel, a leader in digital health technologies.

  • Establishing the Global Emerging Diseases Institute – Announced in December 2020, this true collaboration between Tampa General and USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is a specialized facility on the hospital’s main campus that provides world-class care for patients with COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, conducts cutting-edge research and cultivates the next generation of infectious diseases physicians.

  • First in Florida to offer monoclonal antibody infusion treatment – Since November 2020, and in collaboration with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa General was the first in the state to offer this therapeutic treatment to COVID-positive patients. The goal is to minimize the severity of their symptoms and eliminate long hospital stays.  

  • An enhanced affiliation between physician groups – Announced in July 2020, Tampa General and the University of South Florida developed USF Tampa General Physicians, a new organization dedicated to providing a unified management and support structure for physicians of both USF Health and Tampa General Medical Group, making it one of the largest academic medical groups in the state of Florida. 

  • East Coast Expansion – Since May 2020, Tampa General has been creating a framework of state-of-the-art services to connect patients in the Palm Beach and Treasure Coast area with the expertise and innovation of an academic medical center. Tampa General’s east coast initiatives include alliances with the Cancer Center of South Florida, announced in May 2020, and the Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches in January 2021. In October 2021, Tampa General established TGH General Surgeons of the Palm Beaches and in November 2021 opened the first Tower Radiology location in the area, a PET/CT imaging center.

  • First hospital in Florida to launch CareComm – In August 2019, Tampa General partnered with GE Healthcare to launch CareComm, a patient care coordination command center using artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and industrial engineering to improve the safety, quality and cost of care. CareComm has proven to be an invaluable asset during the pandemic. Similar to air traffic control at an airport and using a “wall of analytics” on oversized LCD screens, CareComm monitors how patients are flowing through Tampa General in real-time to improve efficiencies and care coordination.

 

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.