Tampa General Hospital Named "Best in Class" by WebMD Choice Awards

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Sep 20, 2023, 17:41 ET

National Survey Reveals Patients and Providers Prefer TGH 2:1 Over Competitors

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) earned top honors in this year's WebMD Choice Awards. The academic health system is one of 26 health systems across the nation to receive the WebMD Elite Choice Award, which honors systems that patients and providers prefer 2:1 over competitors.

"This national recognition by patients and providers as the region's preferred hospital is a testament to the exceptional care we offer at Tampa General Hospital," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. "By seeking out the best and most experienced talent, implementing the latest innovations and increasing patient access to care, we are effectively saving lives and improving patient outcomes. As a result, patients and providers alike know that they can count on Tampa General Hospital for the best-in-class care when they need it the most."

WebMD honored Tampa General in every specialty measured:

WebMD Elite Choice – Cardiology
WebMD Patient Choice – Gastroenterology, Oncology, Orthopedics, Neurology
WebMD Provider Choice – Gastroenterology, Oncology, Orthopedics, Neurology

Tampa General is the only health system in the region to be recognized for its neurology treatments, including back pain relief surgery, brain surgery, microdiscectomy, spinal surgery and sleep disorder. Additionally, Tampa General Hospital is the only preferred health system in the region for gastroenterology treatments, including: colorectal surgery, stomach cancer treatment, GERD surgery and hernia repair.

The WebMD Choice Awards recognize health systems that are "best in class" according to the perspective of patients and health care providers. In 2023, WebMD honored 167 health systems, and 26 recipients earned the WebMD Elite Choice Award, including Tampa General.

The WebMD Choice Awards program is intentionally designed to measure patients' perception of health systems at the point of choosing care and gauge health care providers' viewpoint on care delivered by health systems when actively referring in a specific market.

WebMD surveyed thousands of patients to rank systems based on quality and treatment capability. Respondents were asked to provide reasons to support their choices. A separate survey was conducted among physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners via email.

The best hospitals are published online by Web MD to enable patients to make confident decisions about their care.

The WebMD recognition comes just weeks after Tampa General was named the #1 hospital in Tampa Bay by the 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, an honor TGH has earned for six consecutive years. In 2023, U.S. News also ranked TGH in the top 20 nationally in three specialties — the most top 20 rankings for TGH in the past decade.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-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 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 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 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 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.