TGH is 11th in the nation to achieve the prestigious verification for its emergency general surgery program based on a rigorous, evidence-based assessment.
TAMPA, Fla., May 16, 2025 -- Tampa General Hospital (TGH) has announced its achievement of verification under the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Emergency General Surgery Verification Program (EGS-VP).
The program is a rigorous, evidence-based assessment that sets the national standard for excellence in emergency surgical care, encompassing not only the most common types of surgery performed, but also the most acute surgical emergencies in a hospital setting. Tampa General is the first health system in Florida — and 11th in the nation — to achieve this designation.
"As one of the first academic medical centers in the country to achieve this designation, TGH is setting the benchmark for what high-quality emergency general surgery care should look like," said Melissa Golombek, DNP, MHCM, RN, NE-BC, CPN, executive vice president and chief operating officer at TGH. "Academic medical centers are expected to lead, in part, by setting the standards for providing transformative care. This recognition affirms TGH's excellence not only in providing life-saving emergency surgery, but in advancing clinical quality, innovation and education at a national level."
TGH's board-certified emergency surgeons are available 24/7, ensuring that patients receive expert care exactly when needed. The EGS-VP helps hospital systems provide high-quality, around-the-clock care to promptly identify and manage common conditions that require emergency surgery, such as:
- Appendicitis
- Gallbladder disease
- Severe abdominal infections/sepsis
- Bowel obstructions
- Perforated ulcers
- Soft tissue infections
- Hemorrhagic emergencies
- Hernia repairs
The EGS-VP status indicates that the health system provides patients with medical care from an expert team of surgeons and specialists with specific expertise in treating emergency conditions and has advanced resources available regardless of when patients arrive at the emergency room. Verified EGS-VP hospitals have demonstrated the ability to operationalize emergency surgery with the highest industry standards of safety and quality, and the ability to adhere to the rigorous standards established by the ACS.
"As an academic health system and the region's only level 1 trauma center, Tampa General is dedicated to integrating research, clinical care, and medical education, and this national designation is a reflection of that mission in practice, where rigorous training, evidence-based protocols, and high-acuity care converge," Michele Moran, MBA, MSN, RN, vice president for Emergency Services at TGH, remarked.
"Our EGS designation highlights our hospital's commitment to improve the outcomes of a unique group of acutely ill surgical patients who are at high risk for morbidity and mortality," said Dr. Thomas Herron, medical director of emergency general surgery at TGH and associate professor of surgery in the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. "Having the ability to elevate the standard of the care of these patients allows not only for improved outcomes but also provides our trainees exposure to the rigors of maintaining a nationally verified model of emergency surgical care."
The ACS EGS-VP is based on other nationally recognized ACS quality improvement programs and was developed with the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST). The ACS Quality Programs have measurably improved surgical quality outcomes and decreased complications, reduced costs and saved lives.
As an EGS-VP verified hospital, Tampa General continues its reputation as an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. Being a Surgical Quality Partner signifies a hospital's dedication to consistently improving procedures and approaches to healthcare delivery, while maintaining a critical eye on every step of the process. The Surgical Quality Partner designation lets patients know Tampa General is dedicated to quality and relentless self-improvement and has been verified or accredited by the ACS. Patients can trust that the care they receive at Surgical Quality Partner hospitals adheres to the most rigorous standards in surgical quality.
ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1529-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system which 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. As the first in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, Tampa General Hospital has moved its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. The academic health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the 2025 America's Best Large Employers, the top 50 in Florida in the 2024 America's Best Employers 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 2023, provided a net community benefit of approximately $301.8 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It was the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant center in 2024 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, two TGH Outpatient Centers, TGH Virtual Health, and 19 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 the 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).. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.
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