Latest news with #JohnCouris
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AquaFence, whose barriers shielded TGH from hurricane floodwaters, to open Tampa office
Video above: TGH's AquaFence holds floodwaters back TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — AquaFence, the company whose flood protection technology shielded Tampa General Hospital from rising floodwaters during last year's hurricanes, is putting down roots in Tampa. The Norway-based company provides flood barriers to protect critical infrastructure, facilities, commercial properties and more. Surviving the storm: A look back at 2024's wild hurricane season The 3,500 office will be located in the Thousand & One office tower in Tampa's Water Street neighborhood. A news release stated that the Tampa move comes amid higher demand for AquaFence's technology in the region and across Florida. 'With a growing client base and strong relationship with local stakeholders like TGH and SPP, Tampa was a natural next step for AquaFence,' AquaFence CEO Michael Juuhl said in a statement. 'Thousand & One offers the ideal environment for our U.S. expansion— strategically located within the medical and research district, and well-placed to support new client relations.' TGH President and CEO John Couris said in a statement that AquaFence plays a critical role in protecting the hospital and keeping it running during storms. 'AquaFence's move into the Tampa Medical & Research District is a prime example of driving innovation in Tampa and recruiting companies that develop and produce groundbreaking solutions to real-world problems,' Couris said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Journals
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Tampa General CEO John Couris highlights system impact, growth and partnerships
Tampa General Hospital CEO John Couris addresses a crowd at Armature Works in Tampa for the system's second "State of the Union" event.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
St. Petersburg's Bayfront hospital earns first ever A grade for safety
When Orlando Health purchased St. Petersburg's flagship hospital in 2020, Bayfront was struggling. Nurses unions reported understaffing and equipment shortages that reportedly had led to high infection rates and unnecessary deaths. The 480-bed hospital had a D ranking for safety. Five years on, hospital leaders are celebrating Bayfront's first ever A grade in new rankings released by Leapfrog, a nonprofit that rates hospitals nationwide on number of infections and medical errors. They gathered at the hospital at midnight Wednesday to celebrate with night shift workers. 'The team has been working so hard for a number of years,' said Jim Tucker, chief quality officer. 'People are thrilled to be celebrating today. It means everything.' Most of the region's other larger hospitals, including St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater and St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg, also received an A grade. But Tampa General Hospital received its fourth straight C rating despite assurances from hospital leaders that its grade would improve. Hospital officials, however, point to the hospital's improved performance in a new ranking that placed it in the top 30% of academic medical centers in the nation. It was ranked in the 81st percentile of its peers in 2017. The ranking, conducted by Vizient, is more significant since it compares Tampa General to hospitals of similar size and complexity, including NYU Langone, Mass General Brigham and Vanderbilt University, officials said. 'With technology, innovation and exceptional talent, Tampa General is continuously working to elevate quality, enhance safety and improve patient outcomes,' John Couris, hospital president and CEO, said in a statement. Ten of 11 BayCare Health System hospitals that were rated received an A. But the grade for HCA Florida Brandon Regional hospital dropped to a B with MRSA infections and the number of collapsed lungs flagged as areas of concern. Eighteen of AdventhHealth's 26 Florida hospitals received an A grade. AdventHealth Tampa, the nonprofit's largest hospital in the Tampa Bay region, slipped from a B to a C after scoring below average for the number of blood and urinary tract infections. The first ever A for Bayfront comes after significant investment in the hospital by Orlando Health. The hospital has a new ambulance bay expanding the number of ambulances that can be accommodated to 13. There is also new medical pavilions being constructed on campus. Equipment in operating rooms, the labor and delivery department and the baby unit has also been upgraded. Surgical equipment used for neuro and orthopedic surgery has been replaced, new imaging equipment was purchased and sterile processing equipment improved. The company also had to change the culture, said Tucker, who joined shortly before Orlando Health took over. Up until then, there were clearly challenges to address, including the number of infections in patients who had vascular catheters, also known as central lines, he said. Now. there is an increased focus on minimizing the time that a patient is catheterized to reduce the likelihood of infections. The hospital has also been more successful at retaining nurses and surveys staff for ideas on how to keep improving safety. 'It's a never ending journey,' Tucker said. 'It's an infusion into the organization that has really helped us and will continue.' Leapfrog has been rating and assessing hospitals for more than a decade in an effort to reduce deaths and injuries from hospital errors by publicly recognizing safety and exposing harm. Twice a year it grades more than 3,000 acute-care hospitals across the U.S. twice a year on how well they keep patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors, using more than 30 performance measures that hospitals report to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But the nonprofit has been accused by a Palm Beach hospital operator of running a 'brazen pay-to-play scheme' publishing rankings that are 'false, wildly inaccurate, and defamatory.' Leapfrog charges hospitals between $6,700 and $29,900 per year to advertise their safety grade. In a lawsuit filed this week in federal court, Palm Beach Health Network claimed that the grades awarded for 20% of hospitals that refuse to participate with Leapfrog are inaccurate and that the rating system punishes hospitals who decline to provide Leapfrog's safety survey. The legal challenge names five of its hospitals — Delray Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, West Boca Medical Center and St. Mary's Medical Center — as victims of the rating system: Leapfrog officials defended their rating system and said they provide important information that the public deserves to know. 'When we look at these hospitals' results from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, we see preventable suffering and death far exceeding the national average,' said Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder in a statement. 'Instead of using their resources to file frivolous lawsuits, they should be improving how their patients are treated.'
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
Malaysian Reserve
29-04-2025
- Health
- Malaysian Reserve
Tampa General Hospital Ranks Among Top 30% of Academic Medical Centers in the Nation
Vizient, Inc., Which Measures Safety and Quality Data Across the Nation's Acute Hospitals, Recognizes Tampa General as a Top Performer. TAMPA, Fla., April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Vizient, Inc.'s annual rankings published Friday list Tampa General among the top 30% of the nation's leading hospitals for overall performance. The ranking demonstrates significant gains since Tampa General joined the cohort in 2017 at the 81st percentile. 'With technology, innovation and exceptional talent, Tampa General is continuously working to elevate quality, enhance safety and improve patient outcomes,' said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. 'This monumental climb in rankings from Vizient is a testament to the relentless pursuit of exceptionalism by physicians, nurses and every member of our team, and it's an indication of the level of world-class care our patients receive when they seek care at Tampa General.' Notably, Vizient ranks Tampa General in the top quartile for risk-adjusted mortality rate (13th percentile) and length of stay (21st percentile) when measured against other academic medical centers in the nation that care for patients with the rarest and most complex diseases and conditions. 'I'm grateful to our faculty physician leaders, who commit to providing the highest level of health care to our patients every day,' said Charles J. Lockwood, M.D., MHCM, executive vice president at USF Health, dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Tampa General. 'Their expertise and dedication to advancing complex, multi-disciplinary, cutting-edge care shows why academic medicine delivers lifesaving care and the best outcomes for our patients.' The Vizient Quality and Accountability Study measures safety, mortality and efficiency, among other metrics, across 118 comprehensive academic medical centers, including NYU Langone, Mass General Brigham and Vanderbilt University. Tampa General is the only system in Tampa Bay that participates in Vizient's cohort of large academic medical centers. 'Tampa General is one of the nation's leading academic health systems,' said Peggy Duggan, M.D., executive vice president, chief physician executive and chief medical officer at Tampa General. 'Compared with other academic medical centers, Vizient confirms TGH truly is one of the best among the best.' Vizient analyzes data to evaluate performance and outcomes while accounting for the complex nature of services provided and patients in treatment at academic medical centers. Academic medical centers are comprehensive organizations that combine education, research and clinical expertise to provide the most advanced forms of health care. The tertiary and quaternary care at academic medical centers include complex surgery, such as neurosurgery, cardiothoracic, and transplantation, as well as neonatology, cancer care, intensive care, palliative care, and many other complex medical and surgical interventions, including experimental treatments and procedures. 'This strong performance ranking is not just good for our system, it's excellent for our patients,' said Laura Haubner, M.D., senior vice president and chief quality officer at Tampa General. 'In simple terms, a lower mortality rate means more lives are saved. A shorter length of stay means patients recover and return home faster.' Tampa General's high-performance ranking from Vizient is the latest in a long list of accolades from trusted, third-party organizations that evaluate health care organizations. Other recent rankings include: Tampa General is consistently ranked among the nation's best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and among the 'World's Best Hospitals' by Newsweek. Tampa General is the only academic health system in the country that has received two key safety qualifications from the international accreditation organization DNV ( Tampa General Hospital has earned Magnet® designation status five times in a row for excellence in nursing, a recognition achieved by less than 2% of hospitals nationwide. ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL Tampa General Hospital, a 981-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, 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 2024-2025 Best Hospitals, with two medical specialties ranking among the top 20 in the nation and eight medical specialties ranking among the top 50 best hospital 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 health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2024 America's Best Large Employers, the top 50 in Florida in the 2024 America's Best Employers by State and the 2023 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 year 2023, provided a net community benefit of approximately $301.8 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It was the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant center in 2024 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 Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes TGH North, which is comprised of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties, 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, two TGH Outpatient Centers, TGH Virtual Health, and 19 TGH Imaging 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 the 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 ( As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to 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 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, a high-impact research university dedicated to student success and committed to community engagement, generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. Through hundreds of millions of dollars in research activity each year, USF is a leader in solving global problems and improving lives. For more information, visit Media Contact: USF Health Media Contact: Cody Hawley Amanda Bevis Senior Director (202) 680-9262 USF Health Communications & Marketing Amanda@ crhawley@
