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Tampa General Hospital Advances in High-Reliability Care

In a significant advancement in healthcare safety, Tampa General Hospital (TGH) has achieved the Collaborative High Reliability® Organization (CHRO) certification from SG Collaborative Solutions, making it the first healthcare institution to obtain this prestigious designation. This milestone serves as a testament to TGH's unwavering commitment to attaining the highest standards of patient safety and risk management.

Located on Davis Islands, Tampa General Hospital is recognized nationwide for its exceptional safety programs, and this certification marks the culmination of a multi-year effort to foster a culture of safety and reliability. The hospital has implemented a Reliability Management System (RMS) in partnership with Palantir, allowing teams to better identify and address potential risks before they impact patient care.

John Couris, president and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center and Tampa General, expressed his belief that achieving high reliability starts with creating an environment of trust and safety. "High reliability begins with a culture where people trust one another, feel safe speaking up, and understand that identifying risk is everyone's responsibility," he stated. Couris emphasized the importance of integrating expertise from team members and physicians with innovative strategies to foresee and manage risks, ultimately leading to safer, world-class patient care.

The CHRO certification evaluates the framework supporting high reliability initiatives at Tampa General's medical center. This includes their Collaborative Just Culture and Reliability Management Team programs, which are merging with the newly developing Reliability Management System. The goal is clear: empower teams to recognize and act on potential problems before these risks affect patients.

Dr. Peggy Duggan, executive vice president and chief physician executive at TGH, elaborated on the next phase of high reliability, highlighting the importance of the Reliability Management System. This system, informed by reliability practices drawn from aviation, aggregates data from various organizational sources to assist risk experts in monitoring processes and identifying potential hazards in real-time.

"Data becomes meaningful when teams can utilize it to make informed decisions about where to focus their attention," remarked Dr. Laura Haubner, senior vice president and chief quality officer at Tampa General. As the RMS is implemented, evaluating its performance will be critical for understanding its support in advancing safe healthcare delivery.

Tampa General's commitment to high reliability is not new. In 2023, it became the first academic medical center in the U.S. to earn qualifications for both its Collaborative Just Culture Program® and Reliability Management Team™. These accomplishments laid the groundwork for the recently achieved CHRO certification, which takes a holistic approach to how these programs function synergistically across the hospital.

The hospital's high reliability and safety efforts underscore its ongoing dedication to continuous improvement and building safety protocols into everyday processes. Collaborative Just Culture fosters an environment of safety and trust by encouraging teams to openly discuss risks while balancing accountability between individuals and the organization.

Tampa General is a flagship academic health system along Florida's Gulf Coast. The hospital serves 23 counties and comprises a network of outpatient services and various hospitals, including specialized facilities like trauma and burn care centers. Its commitment to community service was highlighted in fiscal year 2024 when the hospital recorded a community benefit of approximately $289 million aimed at supporting underinsured patients and community health initiatives.

With its groundbreaking high-reliability certification, Tampa General Hospital is positioning itself as a leader in patient safety and healthcare excellence, continuing to set new benchmarks for institutions across the nation. The hospital remains dedicated to using advanced technologies, like artificial intelligence, to enhance patient care and operational efficiency.

For more information about Tampa General Hospital and its services, visit their website at www.tgh.org.