Tampa General Hospital, University of South Florida Strengthen Affiliation

TGH and USF sign founding document that will create a new organization dedicated to world-class patient care, education and research.

Tampa, FL (July 23, 2020) -- Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida today announced the formation of a new clinical affiliation, a significant milestone that will further solidify one of the largest academic medical centers in Florida and build upon their longstanding relationship and commitment to improving health care in Tampa Bay.

The enhanced affiliation enables the two organizations to align administrative and clinical practice areas into a new organization, an effort mirrored across the country as most top-ranked medical schools and hospitals move towards integrated models that bolster both academics, research and clinical care. TGH’s Board of Directors and the USF Board of Trustees previously approved the new organization, which will be jointly governed by both organizations.

The new USF and TGH focus means Tampa Bay’s best health care providers are well-positioned to deliver the cutting-edge care and innovative treatments that are a hallmark of academic medicine.

The new affiliation will benefit patients across Tampa Bay by enabling the region’s only academic medical center to provide seamless, comprehensive care for patients, said John Couris, TGH President and CEO, and Steven C. Currall, President of USF.

“This is a great day for health in Tampa Bay,” Couris said. “TGH, USF and our private practice physicians have always had the most success when working together to improve health in Tampa Bay. Now that we are more strategically aligned, we can create a powerhouse that delivers world-class health care on the west coast of Florida.”

TGH and USF have worked closely together for nearly 50 years, since the opening of the medical school in the early 1970s. This new endeavor builds on this long-standing relationship and will enable the two organizations to advance more quickly and broadly on a variety of strategic goals.

"Strengthening and expanding upon the affiliation between the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital presents extraordinary benefits and new opportunities for education, health care and research in the Tampa Bay region and beyond,” Currall said. “Our joint vision is to become one of the nation’s most outstanding academic medical centers."

The ultimate beneficiary of this agreement is the community, as physicians from both groups are coming together to provide tightly coordinated, seamless patient care.

“As the only academic medical center in the region, USF and TGH are uniquely positioned to offer premier, nationally ranked, academically productive sub-specialty programs to enhance our residency and medical student training efforts, as well as increase academic support funding for research and enhance our growing ability to recruit top talent,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president for USF and Dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “We are stronger together and we’ll offer an environment full of collaborative clinical care and research opportunities for the future physicians of Florida.

The new affiliation also will benefit the private practice physicians on staff at Tampa General Hospital by offering purchased services and management services through the new company.

“Our private practice physicians are integral partners to Tampa General Hospital and USF, and providing them the opportunity to participate in this partnership in a way that benefits their practices was a cornerstone to our agreement,” Couris said.

Next steps include launching a national search for an executive to lead the new organization and implementing clinical integration.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1006-bed non-profit academic medical center, delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF 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 an 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 Care and 15 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 Florida, Tampa General Hospital is first in the state to open a command center in partnership with GE Healthcare. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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 and World Report’s national university rankings than USF. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, USF is designated as a Preeminent State Research University by the Florida Board of Governors, placing it in the most elite category among the state’s 12 public universities. USF has earned widespread national recognition for its success graduating under-represented minority and limited-income students at rates equal to or higher than white and higher income students. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.