TGH Aeromed Program Earns Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems Reaccreditation

Published: May 20, 2022

CAMTS accreditation represents the highest quality of patient care in the safest transport environments.

Tampa, FL (May 20, 2022) – Tampa General Hospital’s Aeromed program is honored to be awarded its third full reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). The accreditation is awarded for a three-year term and is recognized as the gold standard for patient care in the transport setting.

“The Aeromed program at Tampa General is one of only three Florida-based rotor wing programs to currently have this accreditation,” said Kelly Cullen, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Tampa General Hospital. “Aeromed transports critically ill and injured patients from 23 surrounding counties to the only Level I Trauma Center in the region here at TGH. It is imperative that our air transport medical services function at this high level.”

Accreditation standards through CAMTS address issues of patient care and safety in fixed and rotary wing services as well as critical care ground transports. To achieve accreditation, organizations must show:

  • Honest self-assessment

  • Ethical business practices

  • Patient and safety-focused processes

  • Continuous quality improvement

  • Transparency in the accreditation process

“I am incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication that went into achieving this elite accreditation,” said Michele Moran, senior director of emergency services, Tampa General Hospital. “The Aeromed team provides highly skilled flight nurse and paramedic teams to care for adult and pediatric patients as well as a NICU team for our NICU patients. They are fully deserving of this recognition.”

The Aeromed program at Tampa General Hospital operates and maintains a fleet of one EC145, one BK117 and four Bell 407 helicopters providing services that include:

  • Critical care during transport

  • Pre-hospital (scene) transport

  • Specialty care transport:

    • Neonatal patient

    • Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used for certain COVID-19 positive patients

    • Organ transplant

    • Trauma

    • Cardiac

    • Burn

    • Stroke/neurological emergency

    • Spinal cord injury

The helicopters are based in Hillsborough, Highlands, Polk and Charlotte counties.

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 four 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.