Tampa General’s John Couris appointed to Florida’s Healthcare Innovation Council

John Couris. Image via TGH.

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo appointed Tampa General Hospital President and CEO John Couris to the newly established Florida Healthcare Innovation Council last month.

The Council was recently created to address issues facing the health care industry with fresh perspectives from leaders and innovators across the industry.

“John Couris was instrumental in the development of the Live Healthy initiative. His transformational vision for our health care system is increasing access, improving care and reducing costs for patients,” Passidomo said. “I am pleased to appoint him to the Live Healthy Innovation Council.”

The Council was established by Senate Bill 7018, proposed by the Senate’s Health Policy Committee and shepherded to the finish line by health care champion Sen. Gayle Harrell in the Senate and Rep. Karen Gonzalez-Pittman in the House.

The bill passed with overwhelming support from both chambers and was signed by the Governor on March 21.

“Florida can serve as a national model in delivering high-quality health care to all Floridians. With support from Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and other leaders on the state level, we can make strategic investments in innovation that have the potential to revolutionize the way we deliver care in the Sunshine State,” said Couris. “I’m honored to be a part of the new Health Care Innovation Council, where we will focus on dynamic and strategic solutions that can increase access, cut costs and improve patient outcomes.”

Couris has led Tampa General to become one of the nation’s leading academic health systems by advancing innovations and technologies that improve patient outcomes.

In partnership with the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Couris established the Tampa Medical and Research District (TMRD), a burgeoning hub of research, academics and biotechnology. The district is attracting renowned clinicians and researchers, resulting in increased access to experts, cutting-edge research, education, and technology for patients and students.

Other successes from Couris and the team include CareComm, a NASA-style mission command center that analyzes data and analytics to best utilize hospital resources and the TGH at Home program, which gives patients access to hospital-level care from leading providers in the comfort of their own homes. These initiatives are just a few of the many that have earned Tampa General the reputation as the leader in health care and innovation.

As part of the Health Care Innovation Council, Couris will advance innovative, science-driven, reproducible solutions, capable of meeting the state’s growing need for health care.

The Council includes 15 individuals with a record of success in increasing efficiencies and addressing workforce challenges. The Council’s role was shaped through a series of public meetings from stakeholders across the state to create best practice recommendations and focus areas for the advancement of the delivery of health care in Florida, with an emphasis on:

— Increasing efficiency in the delivery of health care.

— Reducing strain on the health care workforce.

— Increasing public access to health care.

— Improving patient outcomes.

— Reducing unnecessary emergency department visits; and

— Reducing costs for patients and the state without reducing the quality of patient care.

The program is supported by a revolving loan program from the Florida Department of Health designed to support the best practices imagined by the Council. These loans will be used to help applicants implement innovative technologies that fill a demonstrated need, upgrade essential equipment or adopt new systems in a way that helps reduce costs and improve the quality of care.

Applicants can submit their proposals for loans to the Council which will prioritize funding requests for the Department of Health in a way that helps them pass on the savings to consumers.