Tampa General Hospital Recognized as Best-in-State Employer by Forbes for Fourth Consecutive Year

Forbes America's Best Employers by State ranks Tampa General among the top 50 out of 100 companies in more than 20 industry sectors in Florida. 

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) has been recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best-in-State Employers for 2024, marking the fourth consecutive time the academic health system has made the list. Tampa General was recognized as No. 42 out of 100 companies across more than 20 industry sectors statewide, earning its spot as the region's top-ranking health system on this year's list.

Driven by its mission to heal, teach, innovate and care for everyone every day in Tampa Bay and beyond, Tampa General prioritizes investment in the academic health system's 14,000 team members. By fostering a culture built on the principles of authentic leadership, Tampa General empowers its workforce to thrive. This supportive environment, focused on meeting personal and professional needs, enables team members to deliver the highest quality of care, ultimately improving patient outcomes and experiences as Tampa General strives to be one of the most innovative academic health systems in America.

"The Tampa General team is incredibly proud of the care we provide as the region's only university-affiliated academic health system," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "But we know excellence stems from a supportive and inclusive working environment, and we strive to foster a culture where individual perspectives, experiences and needs are not only acknowledged but celebrated, and everyone has access to the resources and opportunities they need to excel in their personal and professional lives."

Tampa General provides comprehensive benefits packages to team members, including wellness programs, discounts and an array of professional development programs, which are informed by feedback directly from the team members. Based on the unique needs expressed through multiple feedback sessions and forums facilitated by leadership, the health system was able to redesign a comprehensive compensation plan. Tampa General updated benefits offerings to include free mental health support through an innovative solution enabling team members and their dependents to access an appointment with a licensed mental health professional within 72 hours. 

Tampa General's investment in its "AKTiVe" leadership model, emphasizing authenticity, kindness, transparency and vulnerability, has yielded impressive results. Press Ganey team member engagement surveys revealed a significant increase in team member trust in leadership year over year, with most leaders achieving moderate to high index scores. This organization-wide commitment to the AKTiVe framework has boosted both team member and physician engagement scores and propelled Tampa General beyond national academic health system benchmarks for several consecutive years.

As the organization continues to grow its footprint and impact statewide, including integrating TGH North in Hernando and Citrus counties, Tampa General has doubled its workforce to over 14,000 while maintaining high retention rates and reducing reliance on temporary and contract staff. Recent Press Ganey surveys demonstrate continued growth in psychological safety, trust and engagement, with scores surpassing national health care benchmarks.

"This recognition by Forbes for the fourth consecutive year is a testament to our continued commitment to curating a culture of support and belonging at Tampa General," said Qualenta Kivett, executive vice president and chief people and talent officer. "People want to work for an organization that reflects their values, respects their unique perspectives and lived experiences and genuinely cares about their wellbeing, meeting people where they are, and creating a safe space for people to seek opportunity and growth. We are proud of the work we've done to ensure a career at Tampa General is synonymous with so much more than collecting a paycheck, and, in turn, we've created an environment that not only attracts world-class talent but inspires them to recommend our health system as a great place to work."

This recognition comes on the heels of Tampa General's fifth consecutive Magnet^® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program^® as well as well as its inclusion on the Becker's Hospital Review 2024 list of "Great Hospitals in America." Within the last several months, Tampa General earned several workplace and team member experience-centered accolades, including:

• Newsweek's "Greatest Workplaces for Women 2024"
• Newsweek's "Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2024"
• Becker's Hospital Review's "150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare"
• Forbes' "Americas Best Large Employers 2024"

Forbes partnered with Statista, a leading research and statistics company, to identify America's Best-in-State Employers through a comprehensive survey of over 160,000 employees working for U.S. companies with 500-plus employees in any sector. Around 4.4 million employer evaluations were analyzed. The independent study also included data analysis spanning the past three years, allowing for a nuanced understanding of consistent high performers versus companies experiencing a single positive year.

Employer scores were determined at the state level based on two key evaluations:

• Personal Evaluations, reflecting employees' willingness to recommend their employer to family and friends.
• Public Evaluations, capturing recommendations from friends, family and industry peers.

Forbes is a leading global media publication known for delivering the top business, technology, leadership and finance news. The complete list of Forbes' 2024 America's Best-in-State Employers is available here.

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 & World Report's 2024-2025 Best Hospitals, with two medical specialties ranking among the top 20 in the nation and eight medical 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 three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2024 America's Best Large Employers, the top 50 in Florida in the 2024 America's Best Employer's by State and the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women, 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 of 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 five 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 Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, 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.

Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APR
Assistant Manager
Publications & Physician Communications
(727) 510-6363 (cell)
[email protected]

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital