University of South Florida Tampa General Physicians Becomes First Academic Medical Group in the Nation to Achieve Prestigious Collaborative Just Culture® Program Recognition

Recognition from the DNV International accreditation organization reflects Collaborative High Reliability Standards practiced by physicians at Tampa General and USF Health.

TAMPA, Fla., March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) and USF Health announced this month the University of South Florida Tampa General Physicians (USFTGP) has earned a qualification from global independent certification firm, DNV, for its Collaborative Just Culture Program^®. This achievement marks the first recognition of its kind in the nation for an academic medical group and comes less than one year after Tampa General Hospital became the first academic health system in the nation to receive the prestigious qualification.

"At Tampa General Hospital, we provide exceptional health care. This is impossible to achieve without the highest standards for safety implemented in an environment where team members are both trusted and empowered to play a key role in this effort," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "This global recognition is a testament to our physicians and their commitment to safety. It's another third-party confirmation that patients access best-in-class providers with the highest quality standards when they seek care at Tampa General."

Tampa General is on a path toward becoming a certified Collaborative High Reliability Organization^®, which recognizes organizations across multiple industries that implement best practice standards in reliability for their customers and teams. These organizations empower team members to feel safe in identifying and reporting potential risks before a problem occurs. With USFTGP achieving qualification in Collaborative Just Culture Program^®, the reliability efforts have expanded outside of Tampa General's inpatient walls and across the growing health system.

"This first-in-the-nation qualification was earned after a rigorous audit of our team, our practices and our outcomes, and it is a tribute to the dedication of our physicians and our team members to the highest standards in health care," said Dr. Mark Moseley, president of USF Tampa General Physicians, executive vice president at TGH, and professor and vice-dean for clinical affairs at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

The Collaborative Just Culture Program^® fosters a culture of reliability, safety and trust by balancing accountability between individuals and the organization through evidence-based processes, tools and programs. USFTGP began this program in 2023, and now 100% of its team members have completed the training, the first step in the three-tier process to be a certified Collaborative High Reliability Organization^®.

DNV is one of the world's leading certification bodies operating in more than 100 countries, helping businesses manage risk and ensure the performance of their organizations, products, people, facilities and supply chains through certification, verification, qualification and training services. DNV Health Care evaluates health care systems and providers through a rigorous review process and recognizes those that practice and maintain exceptional standards.

The Collaborative Just Culture Program^® earned by USFTGP serve as evidence of performance and proof of compliance with internationally and recognized best-practice standards. It confirms that Tampa General takes a risk-based approach to patient safety and ensures patients receive the highest quality of care.

"At Tampa General, we have worked together to build a culture of safety and trust. These values are more than protocols, they are deeply rooted in our commitment to high quality health care," said Dr. Peggy Duggan, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Tampa General.

USFTGP includes 1,400 team members who serve and support physicians employed by USF Health and Tampa General Medical Group, providing practice infrastructure, clinical management, and related operational and administrative support services. USFTGP also works with private practice physicians on staff at Tampa General to offer purchased services and management services.

"We are thrilled USFTGP has joined Tampa General Hospital as they advance toward Collaborative High Reliability certification," said Scott Griffith, president of SG Collaborative Solutions and author of the Collaborative Just Culture standards. "We expect these evidence-producing standards to set a new high reliability bar in health care and commend the leadership of both organizations."

The COLLABORATIVE HIGH RELIABILITY^® STANDARDS, including qualification requirements for the Collaborative Just Culture® Program and Reliability Management Team^™ are registered trademarks of SG Collaborative Solutions, LLC (SGCS). SGCS has granted DNV permission to utilize these CHR standards for the purpose of independent, conflict-free verification and audits.

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 and World Report's 2023-24 Best Hospitals, with six 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 two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women and top 25 in Florida in the 2023 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 2022, provided a net community benefit worth approximately $240.3 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 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, TGH Outpatient Center, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 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 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).  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 provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

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 is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News & World Report's national university rankings than USF. For more information, visit health.usf.edu.

ABOUT DNV
DNV is a global independent certification, assurance, and risk management provider, operating in more than 100 countries. Through its broad experience and deep expertise, DNV advances safety and sustainable performance, sets industry benchmarks, drives innovative solutions.

Whether certifying a company's management system or products, accrediting hospitals, providing training, assessing supply chains or digital assets, DNV enables customers and stakeholders to make critical decisions with confidence, continually improve and realize long-term strategic goals sustainably.

DNV draws on its wide technical and industry expertise to help companies worldwide build consumer and stakeholder trust. Driven by its purpose, to safeguard life, property, and the environment, DNV helps tackle the challenges and global transformations facing its customers and the world today and is a trusted voice for many of the world's most successful and forward-thinking companies. For more information, visit www.dnvcert.com/healthcare.

ABOUT SG COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS
SG Collaborative Solutions, LLC an enterprise risk management firm specializing in reliable performance in high-consequence industries and organizations. We are the authors of the Collaborative High Reliability ® and Collaborative Just Culture ^® standards of proficiency-based, socio-technical improvement. For more information, visit www.sgcpartners.com.

Media Contact: Amanda Bevis
(202) 680-9262 (cell)
[email protected] 

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital