Tampa General Hospital Launches Hospital at Home Program in Citrus County

TGH at Home offers hospital level care in the comfort of patients' homes.

TAMPA, Fla., March 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) patients living in Citrus County have a new option for care that combines the expertise of a world-class medical facility with the comfort of their own home. Through a combination of expert care and innovative technology, TGH Crystal River's Hospital at Home program gives eligible patients the opportunity to stay home while receiving best-in-class clinical hospital care.

"TGH at Home is a true model of innovation, integrating high-tech applications such as remote patient monitoring and telehealth visits with in-person care by trained health care providers," said John Couris, president and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center | Tampa General Hospital. "We can give patients what they really want: world-class care in their own environment. In addition to enhancing the patient experience, Hospital at Home care has been shown to improve clinical quality."

To be enrolled in TGH at Home, patients must be seen in the Emergency Department or admitted to the hospital for evaluation and, with patient consent, transferred to the TGH at Home program. Patients with certain conditions that can be cared for safely at home include:

• Congestive heart failure (CHF)
• Urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Cellulitis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Diabetes

During their in-home care treatment, patients receive at least two in-person visits per day by a dedicated member of the TGH at Home clinical team. In addition to in-person care, TGH is proud to work with U.S.-based telehealth provider VSee. This virtual health platform allows patients to conduct telehealth visits with providers via TGH at Home iPads. The equipment is provided at no additional cost and is continually monitored by the care team.

Using this technology, the TGH at Home care team of doctors and nurses stays in close contact with each patient to monitor their condition and make any necessary treatment changes for optimal recovery. Should they have a question or concern, patients have around-the-clock access to health care professionals. In order for the care team to respond in a timely manner, patients must live within a 30-minute drive from a TGH hospital or emergency department. In the unlikely event of an emergency, the care team will facilitate transport from the patient's home to the hospital or other emergency care as needed.

Advantages for patients include:

• Patient-centric care
• Privacy of being at home
• Comfort of family, friends and pets
• Reduced risk of hospital-acquired infections
• Equivalent or better outcomes when compared with traditional hospital care

"TGH at Home is all about improving access to care and the patient experience,'' said Linda Stockton, senior vice president and president, TGH Crystal River. "Patients are thoroughly evaluated to determine if their medical condition makes them a candidate for TGH at Home. They receive elements of world-class hospital care in their home with supportive nursing care and, most importantly, their family. We know that patients have a better recovery when surrounded by what is familiar to them."

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a systematic review of nine studies found that individuals receiving Hospital at Home care had a 26% lower risk of hospital readmission and a lower risk of long-term care admission than traditionally hospitalized patients. Patients who received Hospital at Home care also had lower depression and anxiety scores than patients receiving in-hospital care.

TGH Crystal River's Hospital at Home program will build from the success of the TGH at Home program at Tampa General's flagship academic medical center in Davis Islands, which has served more than 2,500 patients since its 2022 launch. This program has realized an improved 30-day readmission rate of roughly 70%, compared with the brick-and-mortar facility, and has contributed to 30%-40% higher patient experience scores as measured by Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys.

For more information on TGH Crystal River's Hospital at Home program, call 352-576-5788 or visit TGH at Home.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, the Tampa Bay region's only academic health system, is a 1,530-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning across Florida. As the only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class care. The system's hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Hospitals, with six medical specialties ranking among the top 50 in the nation and five additional medical specialties ranked among the top 10% best hospital programs in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. Tampa General's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2026 America's Best Large Employers ranked as the Tampa Bay region's #1 employer in the health care category for the sixth year in a row, and among the top five in the state of Florida, in the 2025 Best Employers by State and the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women.

Tampa General is the area's safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2024, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $289.1 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is recognized as one of the adult solid organ transplant centers in the nation and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It 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's footprint includes TGH North, which consists 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 20 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents 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 (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Jennifer Siem
Senior Director, Strategic Growth & Governmental Affairs
Tampa General Hospital Brooksville, Spring Hill & Crystal River
352-576-5220 (cell)
[email protected]

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital