About USF Tampa General Physicians

For USF and TGH to build upon their nearly 50-year affiliation to become Florida’s leading academic medical center (AMC) through a sustainable, collaborative, and comprehensive relationship that mutually benefits each organization, and the communities we serve, across all missions including patient care, teaching, research, and advocacy.

AMCs combine clinical care, research, and teaching to deliver the best possible outcomes, including cutting-edge technologies, resources and therapies to the communities they serve. This is done through the coordinated effort of the academic health system, medical school/university, and faculty/physician organization(s).

There are two major components to the enhanced affiliation between USF and TGH:

• A more comprehensive, global affiliation agreement that promotes coordinated strategic planning, investment, and joint accountability across the parties’ shared clinical, research, and teaching missions.
• The development of this new organization – a new medical group that includes physicians employed by both UMSA and TGMG.

• This is not a merger. USF and TGH will retain separate governance structures and financial controls.
• A joint affiliation council comprised of USF and TGH leadership will be formed to serve as an advisory committee that will help to align strategic planning, identify development and expansion opportunities, coordinate joint research and medical education programs, and integrate clinical services through this new organization.
• A new financial model that more closely aligns USF and TGH through performance-based funding for integrated clinical services and investment in the academic enterprise.

• The new organization is a nonprofit organization jointly governed by USF and TGH.
• Through this new organization, USF and TGH will operate their collective physician enterprise – including physicians employed by USF and TGMG – as a clinically integrated medical group (There will be no change in employment for either USF faculty or TGMG physicians.)
• The new organization will be responsible for establishing business and clinical policies and procedures subject to employment control retained by USF and TGH.
• The new organization will also provide all practice infrastructure, clinical management, and related operational and administrative support services, including management of employed or leased staff.
• Over time, The new organization will also serve as an inviting platform and vehicle to engage private practice physicians and community partners (e.g., by offering practice management services or participation in value-based arrangements.)

Elevated stature and performance as an academic medical center:

• A strong academic affiliation can serve as a powerful differentiating factor that creates value for a health system. All hospitals ranked on U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll maintain primary academic affiliations.
• Patients are drawn to AMCs where healthcare professionals are being trained, specialized care is provided, and innovative research takes place. The Association of American Medical Colleges reports that 7 out of 10 patients believe teaching hospitals provide added value for patients relative to non-teaching hospitals.
• TGH and USF can capitalize on being the only AMC on the west coast of Florida in order to enhance access across key service lines and improve overall financial performance, allowing for reinvestment in the clinical and academic enterprise.

Ability to recruit and retain physicians/faculty:

• High-caliber physicians/faculty are drawn to AMCs where the clinical enterprise is well aligned, physician input is embraced, and there is an opportunity to pursue teaching and research.
• Organizations where university faculty, private practice and hospital-employed professionals feel valued, are competitively compensated, and can play a direct role in the performance of the AMC experience higher retention rates.
• Medical education programs that train resident physicians and are aligned with clinical strategies provide a pipeline of physicians and physician leaders.

Integrated physician enterprise that supports high-level performance (i.e., quality, safety, access, productivity):

• Creation of a clinically integrated physician enterprise, consisting of more than 600 providers under a single management structure allows for a more coordinated approach to care and consistent performance standards.
• Increases availability of high quality, efficient clinical services in West Central Florida.
• Consolidates USF and TGMG practice operations and staff to create a single practice management infrastructure.

Success in value-based health care:

• The new organization will enable USF and TGH to further develop the tools and infrastructure to deliver cost-effective, coordinated, and evidence-based care.
• Over time, it will also serve as an inviting platform and vehicle to engage private practice physicians and community partners (e.g., by offering practice management services or participation in value-based arrangements).
  • Value-based arrangements increase efficiencies for organizations, while providing high-quality care at lower costs for patients.
• Being able to deliver care throughout a comprehensive and broad geographic network throughout West Central Florida will differentiate the value that USF and TGH bring to the community.

Research that drives patient care:

• AMCs bring a unique set of capabilities as part of their research/academic enterprise (e.g., advanced analytics, translational research). Smart investments in these areas can have a direct impact on the clinical enterprise and help to drive overall performance.
• Innovations in clinical research and population health can be transferred to improvements in clinical quality and patient safety. A shared culture that promotes innovation and encourages learning will have a positive impact on patient care.