Latest news with #Couris
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tampa General Hospital to run Lakeside Medical Center, hoping to improve Glades healthcare
BELLE GLADE — Tampa General Hospital and the Health Care District of Palm Beach County have reached a five-year agreement in which the two organizations will partner to run Lakeside Medical Center in Belle Glade. Leaders of both groups say the goal is to expand access to healthcare in The Glades communities near Lake Okeechobee. They are promising to listen to the region's needs and comments. The partnership is the latest effort by Tampa General, the largest hospital system on Florida's west coast, to expand into Palm Beach County, a lucrative healthcare market. John Couris, the president and CEO of Tampa General and the former CEO of Jupiter Medical Center, said hospital officials will meet with community leaders and residents in The Glades in the coming months to identify needs. He stressed that most changes to Lakeside will be gradual. 'It's going to take us two to three years to get to where we believe we can get Lakeside to,' Couris told the nearly 200 people who attended an April 28 forum at Palm Beach State College's Belle Glade campus. 'It's going to take some patience. It's going to take grace. ... We don't want to build something that doesn't reflect your community's need.' Couris said the primary goal will be to reduce the need for residents to travel outside of The Glades for basic medical services. 'We believe that every single Floridian has a right to access world class healthcare in the communities that they live in,' he said. 'This is about creating an environment and a set of services and programs where people can access those services right here at home. You don't need to be transferred out. That's critically important.' As a part of the agreement, Tampa General appointed Ron Doncaster to be Lakeside Medical Center's business operations and integration vice president. 'We are not a nightclub': Hispanic restaurants in Greenacres fight new rules on music, dance Palm Beach County's only public hospital, Lakeside is a rural teaching hospital with 70 private patient rooms. It was built in 2009 and serves the rural communities near Lake Okeechobee, where about 40,000 people live and most of the population is middle- to low-income. In recent years, Tampa General has partnered with physician practice groups in Palm Beach County to create 18 medical offices stretching from Palm Beach Gardens to Delray Beach. It also has joined with Mass General Brigham, the teaching hospital system for Harvard Medical School, to build medical offices in Palm Beach Gardens. "Tampa General represents excellence on all fronts," said Darcy Davis, the Health Care District's president and CEO. "We really appreciate that they're going to be able to partner with us to bring more services to the Glades. It doesn't matter where you live. Everyone deserves the best care possible." $9.4 million in fines: Glenn Straub's Palm Beach Polo pays Wellington for damage to Big Blue Preserve During a question-and-answer session with the audience at the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center, a panel addressed a variety of issues, including whether there are any plans to reopen Lakeside's labor and delivery unit. The hospital announced in 2022 that it would close the unit due a declining number of births. The change left Palms West Hospital in Royal Palm Beach as the nearest medical outlet for expectant mothers. Davis said reopening the Lakeside unit will be considered and would largely depend on whether there is an increased need. 'Everything is on the table in terms of what we are looking at and of where we want to go,' she said. Couris addressed a question about whether the changes could include a reduction in the number of staffers at the hospital. 'We're not here to cut," he said. 'We're here to grow. We're here to expand. We're here to build. What we need is investment in these communities." Sign up for our Post on Wellington weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday! Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@ and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tampa General to run Lakeside Medical Center, the hospital in the Glades
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida's first behavioral health teaching hospital to open to patients in Tampa
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida's first and only freestanding academic medical center-affiliated behavioral health hospital will officially its doors to patients and their families in just a few days. The Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Behavioral Health Hospital, which is set to open to the public in March, will offer care for patients in mental health crises, along with hands-on learning opportunities for medical students, according to officials. Florida DoorDash driver mauled by 2 dogs, airlifted to Tampa The hospital, located in the center of the Tampa Medical and Research District at 1303 West Kennedy Boulevard, is the result of a joint venture between TGH and Lifepoint Behavioral Health. Following a ribbon cutting Tuesday, John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General, called the new facility 'a beacon of hope' for Floridians. 'With the opening of TGH Behavioral Health Hospital, we are making a significant leap forward in addressing the pressing need for mental health services in our community and across Florida,' Couris said. The new facility spans nearly 83,000 square feet and features 96 inpatient beds. Officials said inpatient treatment will consist of 24-hour personalized care, including medication management, safety planning and both individual and group therapy. Partial hospitalization and outpatient treatment services will also be available at the hospital within the next few months. Couple says they were forced to sit with dead woman on plane for hours The hospital's team consists of academic-medicine-based University of South Florida (USF) Health psychiatrists and psychologists, supported by Tampa General therapists and specialized nursing staff. 'Through our comprehensive academic, research and clinical activities, the University of South Florida is uniquely positioned to help address the growing demand for behavioral health services in our community,' said USF President Rhea Law. Florida lawmakers passed Senate Bill 330 during the 2024 legislative session to create a behavioral health teaching hospital designation in state statute. The law names the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital as the first of four such facilities in the state. Officials said the hospital is expected to serve as a key behavioral health training and education center for medical students and residents from USF Health's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at the Morsani College of Medicine. Doug Leonardo, who has more than 25 years of experience in behavioral health, having implemented behavioral health services at 12 hospitals and emergency departments in Florida, will serve as the president and CEO of the TGH Behavioral Health Hospital. 'This is the start of a new era in mental health care, combining academic excellence with patient-centered treatment,' Leonardo said. 'The TGH Behavioral Health Hospital will transform the landscape of behavioral health services in Florida, ensuring that individuals and families receive the support they need for mental wellness and recovery.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hospitals 'not going to manage hundreds of partnerships' in digital health, CEO says
For the last few years, digital health has seen increased interest as more health providers embrace what was once deemed a risky endeavor — or an unnecessary expense. But that is waning, partly because of pressure on margins. "We get a lot of solutions looking for problems. We get very few people who want to understand our problems and our challenges, and then bring a solution to us," John Couris, CEO of Tampa General Hospital, said. Couris spoke with Yahoo Finance at the ViVE digital health event in Nashville this week. He explained that hospitals are thinking more intentionally about where their digital investments will go after years of watching the industry grow. That has led to hundreds, if not thousands, of independent programs being used and administered by the health systems. "So I'm not going to manage hundreds of partnerships or even thousands of partnerships anymore," he said. "We're not going to do that. What we are going to do is find those partners who really want to understand our problems, who want to help us solve those problems, and then have a very deep relationship." "I want fewer partners but deeper relationships," Couris added, citing GE HealthCare (GEHC) and Palantir (PLTR) as examples of good partners. The struggle has been in the making since last year, prior to Trump's election, but is expected to continue as the industry expects to face a greater cash crunch in light of budget cuts. That includes Trump's support of the House budget bill that would cut funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). "There are a lot of things that are being done that are going to help our industry ... I'm bullish on that," Couris said. "But I also think there are going to be policies and changes made that are going to put pressure on our industry. You can't balance the federal budget unless you deal with the CMS ... all roads lead to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. You have to be ready for that." A big problem is that health systems often have a payer mix that relies heavily on government funding in the form of Medicare. That's because, in large part, the volume of seniors who need healthcare services is higher than the patient pool in commercial employer-sponsored plans. Commercial insurance plans pay hospitals better rates, but the bulk of reimbursements come from Medicare — and are paid out at a lower rate than what it costs to provide care. But if Medicare funding is reduced and Medicaid support for states is reduced, that will cut into hospital revenues. Even before the shift in the political climate, hospitals were already concerned — and that impacted their ability to invest in digital health at a meaningful level. "Given the current macroeconomic climate and increasing cost pressures on health systems, most respondents identified budget constraints as a key obstacle to investing at scale across all digital and AI categories of interest (51% of respondents ranked this obstacle among the top three)," a McKinsey report found last year. That's why Couris advised entrepreneurs and venture funds to consider the potential for a decrease in deal-making and a greater focus on lower costs. "I'd think of a way of selling into an industry that is under unprecedented pressure in a less expensive, more innovative way," Couris said. Anjalee Khemlani is the senior health reporter at Yahoo Finance, covering all things pharma, insurance, care services, digital health, PBMs, and health policy and politics. That includes GLP-1s, of course. Follow Anjalee on social media platforms X, LinkedIn, and Bluesky @AnjKhem. Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest health industry news and events impacting stock prices Sign in to access your portfolio
