Tampa General Hospital's Vice President of Innovation Chosen Among Top Leaders In Keeping American Health Care on the Cutting Edge

Rachel Feinman is among 30 leaders around the country chosen by Becker's Healthcare for creating a culture of innovation.

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rachel Feinman, vice president of Innovation at Tampa General Hospital and managing director of TGH Innoventures, has been named one of the nation's top innovation leaders by Becker's Healthcare.

Feinman is among the list of "30 Great Chief Innovation Officers to Know,'' leaders who are vital to digital transformation efforts and initiatives to keep health systems on the cutting edge of delivering patient care. Feinman was chosen for her work in creating a culture of innovation across the Tampa General system, accelerating research and development, and managing venture capital funds.

Feinman also was selected for her efforts to harness the ingenuity and creativity of the academic medical center's team members to improve operations and clinical care.

"Innovation is critically important to our organization as it is the engine that propels us forward in developing real-world solutions for some of the most complex issues in health care," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. "Rachel has done an outstanding job in realizing our plan to find and leverage partnerships and perspectives that amplify next-generation ideas."

"This is an incredible honor, and it reflects the dedication of the team to move innovation forward,'' Feinman said. "It's another sign that our organization continues to strive to be a national leader in delivering world-class care.''

Feinman became vice president of Innovation at Tampa General in 2021 after serving as executive director of Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) for three years. With a passion for influencing the strategy for impactful innovation, she currently leads innovation and oversees Tampa General's venture investment strategy.

At Tampa General, innovation and health care are inseparable. Part of the hospital's objective is to significantly advance the future of health care in the Tampa Bay region, state of Florida and nationally. Launched in early 2021, Innoventures provides a coordinated mechanism for Tampa General to develop innovative solutions to improve quality and access to care. Innoventures also provides the hospital with a platform to invest resources and funds into emerging companies that share the academic medical center's vision and can help develop immediate solutions for health care access, quality and delivery.

Innoventures began as a $15 million, innovation-focused investment fund to support entrepreneurs, scientists and administrators addressing real-world problems. Some of its early successes include:

• A partnership with Embarc Collective, a Tampa-based nonprofit that helps startups grow into scalable, thriving businesses. Embarc serves as a landing spot for entrepreneurs and mentors to meet and share ideas. By teaming with Embarc, Tampa General can access startups working in health care and leverage Embarc's leading startup advisers to support Tampa General's internal innovators.
• The establishment of Co-Lab by TGH Innoventures, which is designed to collaborate and codevelop with early-stage health care companies to cultivate innovations at Tampa General that have broader applicability to other systems in health care. Through Co-Lab, Tampa General has partnered with and invested in Enroute, which uses artificial intelligence to streamline patient navigation by improving the efficiency of Tampa General's inpatient transport department.
• Investment in health tech-focused venture fund Virtue, which gives Tampa General access to innovative companies that address challenges in the health care industry. The strategic collaboration between Innoventures and Virtue focuses on modernizing health care delivery, increasing efficiency and improving the patient experience.
• Tampa General is expanding telehealth and connected care services through a $1 million reimbursement grant from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The initiative helps enhance the quality of patient care by removing socioeconomic barriers through the increase of telehealth and connected care services.
• A collaboration with the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) identifies innovative solutions from Israel. A partnership with Sheba Medical Center, the leading hospital in the Middle East, can generate groundbreaking developments in health care services, education, training and innovation.

The full list of honorees can be read at: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/lists/30-great-chief-innovation-officers-to-know-2022.html

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 third out of 100 Florida companies in the 2021 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 2020, provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 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 Level IV 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, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. 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 uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Karen Barrera
Assistant Director of Communications & Partnerships
(813) 844-8725 (direct)
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[email protected]

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital