This year has been billed as the year of health care, and the Florida Senate began a long-awaited conversation on Tuesday. Senate Health Policy Committee meeting.
Chair colleen burton It outlined the challenges plaguing the state’s health care system, including emergency department overutilization, limited access in rural areas, and workforce shortages, and led a series of speakers to discuss “some of the innovative approaches to addressing the challenges.” We invited them to discuss the matter.
The topic was Dr. Pete ChanSenior Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer Tampa General Hospital. He briefed committee members on multiple approaches being implemented to increase access to world-class care in the communities Tampa General serves.
Emergency department overutilization is a significant problem in the U.S. health care system. Overreliance on emergency departments (EDs) not only increases healthcare costs but can also negatively impact patient outcomes. In 2022, Tampa General partnered with Florida Blue to design a collaborative care model to support and study a group of Florida Blue members with a high propensity for ED use. Together, they launched an in-home emergency care service.
“TGH and Florida Blue helped 80% of participating patients avoid emergency department visits with the help of care navigation, care coordination, and home diagnostics,” said Chan.
Mr. Chang also provided an update on TGH. home hospital program. TGH at Home combines expert care with innovative technology, with a focus on safety and patients’ individual needs. Based on the same standards used within hospitals, patients in the TGH at Home program receive daily home visits and care from TGH providers, as well as virtual visits and continuous remote patient monitoring .
“The statistic I’m most proud of in this program is what we’ve done to reduce readmissions, which is about 18 to 20 percent for the average hospitalized patient. With TGH at Home, we’ve reduced that to 3.6 percent. I was able to lower it.”
Finally, Mr. Chang focused on access to expertise. TGH health park facility is a hospital-based clinic staffed by doctors from the U.S. military stationed in Japan. At HealthPark, patients have access to a full range of specialty services including pediatrics, obstetrics, gastroenterology and oncology. Our Patient Experience Call Center helps patients navigate the system and get the care they need. In addition, the Health Park offers a food pantry and sustainable garden to help patients access food and support that lead to better lives.
“We always say we need more doctors, and we do. But we can also increase access to care by implementing technology and increasing efficiency,” Chan said. I concluded.
Post views: 0