Scott Arnold of Tampa General Hospital Named a Chief Information Officer to Know

The academic medical center’s EVP and CIO is recognized for his role in advancing Tampa General’s position as a national leader in health information technology innovation.

 

Tampa, FL (April 26, 2023) – Scott Arnold, executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) of Tampa General Hospital, has been named a top health care information technology (HIT) leader by Becker’s Hospital Review on its 2023 “CIOs to Know” list. Arnold’s inclusion on the list reflects his efforts to drive technological advancement at Tampa General, including championing initiatives and optimizing processes to transform care and drive improved outcomes for patients.

 

“Scott’s efforts in the hospital IT (HIT) space are foundational in shaping Tampa General as one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers and as home to the most innovative and highest-level care available ,” said John Couris, Tampa General’s president and chief executive officer. “His forward thinking and expertise in information technology play an integral role in streamlining and enhancing processes and onboarding new technologies that make efficient and effective care coordination possible.” 

 

“The various patient data points that are often stored in disparate locations tell important stories that give caregivers additional insight into whom they are caring for and how to best care for them,” Couris added. “Under Scott’s leadership, Tampa General has been able to integrate technological systems to unleash the power of that data to improve care quality, patient outcomes, and the patient experience.”

 

A recent example of Arnold’s approach to data integration is Tampa General leveraging data generated by its partnership with the GE Healthcare Command Center system – which monitors the location, care, and status of every patient within the hospital – to create an early warning system for potential sepsis cases. The academic medical center’s CareComm Command Center also provides real-time situational awareness throughout the organization to drive efficiency improvements. This happens through the use of a predictive analytics algorithm, which alerts a rapid-response clinical care team to potential sepsis concerns.

 

The algorithm uses real-time information from Tampa General’s electronic health records (EHR), and rules-based logic based on a weighted algorithm with specific clinical factors. Within two years, this new approach to predicting and eliminating the life-threatening complication of infection resulted in a reduction of the early death rate from 6.1 percent to 3.1 percent. This accounts for more than 50 lives saved in the past six months. Through this ongoing work, Tampa General developed pathways to get patients home from the hospital sooner.

 

Additionally, Arnold is working with his team at Tampa General to ensure health information technology is front-and-center in the health system’s approach to care coordination. Data is essential in transforming the patient care experience from transactional interactions at specific points of care to a more curated and holistic experience. When technology systems are fully connected and integrated, caregivers and clinicians can better understand a patient’s entire health journey and work together to provide exceptional, personalized care.

 

“I’m honored to be recognized by Becker’s and believe it is a testament to the way our team at Tampa General has embraced new use cases for technology to support proactive, sound clinical decision-making,” Arnold said. “HIT isn’t just the future – it's here and now. Every advancement we make in leveraging patient data to enable more seamless care delivery benefits our patients, our care teams and our community.”

 

In its announcement of the “Top CIOs to Know” list, Becker’s Hospital Review stated “the creation of novel technologies and cyber systems is ushering in an era of growth and innovation in the health care industry. Top CIOs are adopting these technologies and health IT initiatives to enhance the patient and provider experience.”

 

Becker’s Hospital Review is a leading source of hospital business news and analysis for the health care industry. This list highlights health care’s top CIOs across the country. Arnold and the rest of this year’s “CIOs to Know” honorees can be found online here.  

 

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL 

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-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 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – first nationally in the 2022 America’s Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 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 six 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 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 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.