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TRIPLE CROWN
ATRIPLE CROWN Tampa General Hospital receives a trio of awards that honor CARE, PERFORMANCE, EDUCATION, and EQUALITY
This has been a banner year for Tampa General Hospital. Not only did TGH garner U.S. News & World Report’s No. 1 Best Hospital ranking in Tampa Bay and No. 3 in Florida for 2022-2023, but it was the only major teaching hospital in Florida to be named to the 2022 Fortune/Merative (formerly IBM Watson Health) 100 Top Hospitals list. As part of this recognition, TGH was among only 25 hospitals in the United States to receive the Everest Award, which honors both the highest current performance and the fastest long-term improvement. Last but not least, Forbes magazine designated TGH the No. 1 Best Employer for Women in the United States.
Advances recently sat down with TGH President and CEO John Couris to discuss what these honors mean and their impact on patients and staff.
Can you tell us more about each award and what it signifies?
This kind of recognition year after year is really a testament to the unwavering dedication and ongoing commitment by our entire team to deliver world-class care day after day. Tampa General’s rankings are a reflection of our process of aligning innovation and advanced research to improve the health and well-being of our patients. This collection of awards represents that we are operating on the level of the best institutions in the country by every measure and across the organization.
The U.S. News & World Report’s Top Hospitals recognition, which we have received for the past seven years, is one of the most widely known hospital ranking systems among patients and consumers across the country. It ranks our performance and that of 4,500 hospitals nationwide in 15 specialties and 20 procedures and conditions. This year, Tampa General is ranked as one of the nation’s top 50 hospitals in seven medical specialties, including ear, nose, and throat; diabetes and endocrinology; and obstetrics and gynecology, where TGH ranks No. 1 in Florida. TGH also ranks as “high performing,” or among the top 10 percent of U.S. hospitals, in five additional specialties.
The U.S. News & World Report ranking is one of the most comprehensive in terms of the information it gathers to determine both our overall ranking and that of our ranking in a specific specialty. Many of the metrics considered by U.S. News & World Report contributed to our designation as a model of excellence by Fortune/Merative. As Tampa General is the primary teaching hospital of the outstanding USF Health Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida, medical education and research play a critically significant role in our operation as an academic medical cenBY SANDRA GURVIS ter, and they were key factors in receiving this recognition. As an academic medical center, our focus on research and medical education enhances our ability to develop and provide the most innovative treatments and therapies, while training the next generation of doctors, nurses, and specialists. A key component in this designation is our focus on community health and how we provide medical services, preventative care, and education to our community. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region—caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay—and is committed to enhancing the quality of health care while making it more accessible and affordable to everyone. We are incredibly proud of this recognition, as it not only reflects our commitment to patient safety, experience, and clinical outcomes, but also emphasizes Tampa General’s focus on designing the future of health care and enhancing health care quality and lowering costs. The other Forbes award highlights our commitment to diversity and inclusion for all those who walk through our doors—regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation—and to advancing women at all levels of our organization. Among other things, the award also reflects the atmosphere that TGH has worked hard to develop—one that supports women and families, promotes flexibility, and champions pay equity. While this recognition showcases our commitment to the support we specifically provide to women, it also speaks to our priority to understand
what all our team members need and what is important to them in their lives so that, in return, we can provide support in ways that are most impactful to them. We know that our commitment to fairness and equity will continue to lead to a diverse workforce and drive the best possible patient outcomes.
Why should these awards matter to patients?
These awards showcase the hard work of the team and are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive quality health care, no matter how challenging the condition. These awards are an indication of value. As a consumer of health care, you want to go to a trusted resource and know how the care you are considering stacks up against others in the market. The recognition also signals to patients that they don’t need to leave the state of Florida when they can get the same or even better treatment at TGH.
What do they mean for team members?
In a high-performing organization, three things come into play: culture, the people themselves, and the ability to execute strategy and vision. In order to accomplish this, we need to understand what our team members require so we can provide them with meaningful and ongoing support. The Forbes recognition reinforces the efforts behind this work and helps us attract and retain the most outstanding people.
Is there a “secret sauce” behind TGH’s success as it relates to these awards?
A few years ago, we set the goal of being the safest and most innovative academic health system in America. These awards recognize and measure our efforts in terms of providing cuttingedge patient care, innovative procedures and treatments, the highest level of training, gamechanging research, and top-level academics. I like to say while other hospitals practice medicine, at Tampa General, we help define it.
