Enhanced Alliance Progresses for Tampa General Hospital and University of South Florida, As Name Is Announced and Search For Inaugural Leader Begins

The new organization is on target for an October 2021 launch, and will form one of the largest academic medical groups in the state of Florida.

Tampa, FL (July 16, 2021) – Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida are progressing with their new enhanced affiliation, defining a name and beginning a national search for the new organization’s first leader. The milestones keep the October 2021 start date on target and are in sync with overall transition planning that has taken place since announcing the broadened affiliation last summer.

Now branded as the University of South Florida Tampa General Physicians, the new organization creates a combined management services organization with more than 800 health care providers under a unified management structure, becoming one of the largest academic medical groups in the state of Florida. This united group strengthens 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.

“These latest steps in our transition plan reflect the tremendous excitement and momentum for the October 2021 launch of the new enhanced affiliation between the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital,” said USF President Steven Currall. “Defining the affiliation’s identity and beginning the leadership search are vital milestones in our rigorous process to assure the balance and protections for both organizations.”

The new nonprofit organization was created by joining the administrative infrastructure of Tampa General Medical Group (TGMG) and the USF Health physician faculty practice group. Once fully launched in October, the organization will provide unified management and support structure for physicians employed by both USF Health and TGMG, allowing for more coordinated care and increased patient access to the kind of world-class, specialized care typically found only at academic medical centers. The new organization also promotes coordinated and strategic planning, investment, and joint accountability across both organizations’ shared clinical, research, and teaching efforts.

“Patients will experience the best of both worlds as we come together as one united physicians group,” said John Couris, Tampa General president and CEO. “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 closely strategically aligned, we can create a powerhouse that delivers world-class health care on the west coast of Florida.”

“This enhanced affiliation will have a lasting impact on Tampa Bay, bringing the highest quality care to our region,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “USF Health and Tampa General Hospital have enjoyed a longstanding and fruitful relationship, and as the only Academic Medical Center on the west coast of Florida, we provide cutting-edge treatments and pioneer life-changing research discoveries. By combining our world-class resources and providers, this medical group will deliver unrivaled advanced care to patients and families across the state.”

The alliance will benefit patients by elevating and enhancing the growth of West Florida’s leading academic medical center. Academic medical centers provide cutting-edge specialized care for the most complex and challenging illnesses and conditions, as well as provide patients with access to innovative research and clinical trials and train the next generation of health care professionals.

University of South Florida Tampa General Physicians will provide practice infrastructure, clinical management, and related operational and administrative support services. About 1,400 team members at TGH and USF will become employees of the new organization.

The new group 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 an integral partner to Tampa General Hospital and USF Health, and we are pleased that creating University of South Florida Tampa General Physicians will provide them the opportunity to participate in this partnership in a way that benefits their practices as well,” Couris said. 

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1041-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 2020-21 Best Hospitals, and one of the top 4 hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. 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 and World Report’s national university rankings than USF. For more information, visit health.usf.edu