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Saul Marquez:
Hey, everybody! Welcome back to the Outcomes Rocket. I want to welcome you to another podcast, and I get the privilege of having John Couris with us once again. John, just for those of you that haven’t heard of him, is the president and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center, which comprises of an array of organizations, including Tampa General Hospital, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit, academic medical centers in the research health systems in partnership with the University of South Florida. He’s a visionary, and if you guys haven’t had a chance to listen to my previous episode with him, take a listen, we’ll link it up in the show notes, but certainly paving the future of our healthcare industry. John, so glad that you’re with us again today.
John Couris:
Oh, it’s great to be with you. Thanks for having me back.
Saul Marquez:
It’s a pleasure. Now, you guys are brewing up some very interesting things over there in Tampa. Talk to us about the Tampa Medical Research District.
John Couris:
Well, you know, I’ve been at Tampa General Hospital in Florida Health Sciences Center for close to six years, and one of our big strategies has been sort of building out this Hub and Spoke concept where we now have over 130 locations across the state of Florida, and they, think of those as sort of like the spokes, and they feed the hub, and the hub is in the city of Tampa, and the hub is a burgeoning medical and research district that has our academic medical center in it, which is over 1000-bed academic facility with 700 residents and fellows, a little over 70 training programs in partnership with the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. And the idea inside the city, and what we’ve been doing over the last four years, is building a hub of innovation, a hub of research, and a hub of clinical excellence. And the whole notion is, and the general thesis is, if you can create a concentration of services, when you’re an institution like ours, an academic facility, you start to attract physician-scientists, basic scientists, clinical researchers, clinicians, venture capital, private equity, biotech, etc. And the reason you start to attract all of this is you’ve created basically an ecosystem that is concentrated in a very tight geography and, in our case, in a city and actually one of the fastest growing cities in the nation right now. And that’s very attractive to people because what a medical and research district allows you to do is it allows the physician-scientists and researchers to collaborate and cross-pollinate, share new innovations, share ideas, share new discoveries, while at the same time taking care of some of the most complicated patients and most complicated diseases that we know. And we’ve been working on this for the last four years now, and I want the audience to think about Longwood Medical District in Boston that has Brigham and Women’s, Dana-Farber, Beth Israel Deaconess, and Harvard Medical School in it. I want people to think of the Illinois Medical District in Chicago or the Texas medical district in Houston. Again, it’s a concentration of services in clinical excellence and research that is designed around the patient and around the physician or the researcher to create some of the best outcomes, best research, and best innovations, and that’s what we’re doing here, and it’s been very successful for us.
Saul Marquez:
That’s really exciting, and I think much needed in that area. How was the district conceived, and what’s your vision for it, John?
John Couris:
Well, you know, it’s a great question. So when I got here six years ago, my partner in this whole journey is the dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, Dr. Charlie Lockwood. Charlie actually comes from Boston as well, and we had similar experiences, different paths, right? He’s a physician; I’m an administrator. He started his career at Yale, and I started my career at Mass General and the Harvard Medical School. But when we got together six years ago, we quickly realized that with the new medical school being built in downtown Tampa with a 30-acre academic medical center in the middle of the city existing and with a cadre of other services, like a 90,000 square foot simulation center, we thought to ourselves, do we have the seedlings for a burgeoning and large and comprehensive medical and research district akin to some of the medical districts I just mentioned a moment ago? And we sat down one day and said, well, look, there’s this brand new state-of-the-art medical school that’s about to open. The medical center is going through a renaissance period. Is there a way to put these two entities together and really start to create something that doesn’t exist. In a city that is exploding with growth, can we create an ecosystem that not only drives medical excellence, but also drives economic prosperity for the whole city and for the region? And the answer was, yes, we can, because we have the seedlings to do it. Let’s capitalize on all the intellectual capital that sits within the city today, and let’s collaborate with public schools and private universities and public universities and private independent high schools. Let’s partner with museums, in our case, the aquarium, which is down here because, you know, there’s a delicate balance and blend of art and science, right? Where’s the connective tissue around all of that? Plus, a lot of the physician-scientists, and clinicians, and staff that we recruit are looking for infrastructure or looking for stimulating environments not just for themselves, but for their families and for their kids. And so we thought when we looked at all of this, we thought, gosh, there’s a real opportunity here to do it, and so we started to build it. We started to build it in an area of the city that’s called Water Street. And we basically started with the medical school, we have invested heavily in the academic medical center, and we’ve also built out a lot more clinical programs. So, for example, we now have a freestanding acute care rehab hospital in the district. We’re breaking ground on an independent, academically-oriented psychiatric facility for pediatrics, adults, and geriatric patients, both inpatient and outpatient, it’s going to be about 100 beds, again, all academically oriented. We built out another access point for our emergency medicine and a freestanding ED, not only does that prove access for the community, but it also is another training location for our residents and fellows who are interested in emergency medicine. We have plans to build a proton center in the district, and so we’re starting to create and build assets in the city to basically accomplish what I just shared with the audience, right? We’ve been doing it for the last four years quietly. We’re now getting a lot more active in recruitment of organizations into the district itself. For example, the Moffitt Cancer Institute, which is a wonderful cancer hospital north of us from the city, it’s recently opened up a screening and diagnostic center for cancer patients, primarily screening. We’re very excited that they’re in the city, and we think in part they came to the city because they’re attracted to the medical district because they see the value in the medical district. We also are working with lots of startups through Innoventures, which is our venture capital arm led by Rachel Feinman and her team. And we’re investing in all sorts of startups, all sorts of innovation funds, and we’re starting to attract people into the city that are more entrepreneurial and that are thinking about new and different ways to sort of solve real problems in healthcare. Well, we think in part, not completely, but in big part, people are coming here because of the concentration of services that we have begun to put together, and we’re very excited about that.
Saul Marquez:
Yeah, I’m thrilled about it. And during our last podcast, you talked about, people want their healthcare like they want their cup of coffee or their Netflix. They want a place that they could go to that’s reliable, that they could get everything that they need when they need it. You’re creating that not just for the patient experience or the physician experience, but the community; that just goes above and beyond. So huge kudos to you and the teams that you’ve involved. Tampa General, the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council, talk to us about how these interplay and what exactly everybody’s doing and what’s coming, what’s yet to come?
John Couris:
You know, it’s a great question. So what we’re building, we’re building in a way that can be very inclusive. We want to build an ecosystem that is inclusive. We want to build an ecosystem that attracts organizations that share a similar vision, have similar values, and have similar cultures. And are committed to this idea of innovation and creativity and really transforming the way care is delivered in a city or in a region, right, in our case. And so partnering with the Economic Development Council in Tampa basically gives us a bigger window into the world. We just entered into a five-year deal with the Economic Development Council, and we’re in the process of hiring a full-time person who will do nothing but cultivate the medical and research district with one of my executives, Jennifer Crabtree, who is also responsible for building out the district. But the EDC executive will also be responsible for recruiting businesses into the district because you have to be deliberate, and you have to be intentional about the work that you’re doing. And it’s one thing to be innovative, it’s another thing to be practical about how you innovate. There’s lots of organizations in our industry that love to talk about innovation, love to conceptualize what innovation is and should do, but there are few organizations that actually do it. And so, having the right people around the table driving the strategy forward is critically important. Jennifer is a key component of that because she’s my proxy and runs the work in the district itself. The person we will be hiring through the EDC is also critically important because their full-time job will be to attract and retain organizations into the district and will work with Jennifer in making sure that the ecosystem is healthy and prosperous. And so we’re excited about it, and we’ve got a lot more work to do. We are far from where we want to be, but we’ve come a very long way in a very short period of time, and we’ve done it quietly. Up until this point, we’ve done it very practically, but the idea is to create an environment that is very inclusive.
Saul Marquez:
That’s fantastic. And folks, for anybody listening that says, oh my God, this is a vision that resonates with me, this is something I want to be a part of, here’s an opportunity. They are hiring some serious roles here on John’s team. So if you feel like you can make an impact in this type of ecosystem, raise your hand and reach out. Wouldn’t you agree?
John Couris:
I mean, listen, I appreciate you sharing that. I would also go as far as, if you’re a scientist, if you’re an entrepreneur, if you’re somebody who has a business, who wants to move to a state that is very, very friendly to businesses, that has a low tax base, that has no state income tax and is ready to welcome you with open arms, I would tell you that Florida is a great state to look at. I would tell you that Tampa is probably the best city at the moment to look at. Come on in, reach out to us. We would love to talk to you.
Saul Marquez:
That’s awesome. John, I couldn’t agree more, and Tampa is booming, folks, so if you haven’t checked it out, please do. If you have, here’s another reason to do it. The future’s bright there. And so, let’s dig into the district again. So what’s the status of the district today, and what are the elements of the district are yet to come?
John Couris:
Well, I would tell you that the status, I mean, let’s talk about, because I kind of shared a little bit of the status and what we’re doing, but let’s talk about what’s around the corner. So we break ground on a new psychiatric facility at the end of July. We are evaluating right now a research facility and medical-oriented hotel because we have lots of people from around the state of Florida and from around the southeast that come to us for certain services and certain programs. Research continues to grow exponentially between, TGH and USF, and so, building out more research space is incredibly important. We are investing a little over $500 million in a new surgical tower that is going to be focused on our neurosciences institute as well as our transplant institute. What most people don’t know, and you probably wouldn’t need to know this unless you needed the services, but between TGH and USF, we have one of the largest neurosciences platforms in the country, and we have the sixth-largest transplant program in the United States with some of the best outcomes in the United States. And an example of how we’re attracting people, we have a relationship with Kaiser Permanente on the West Coast in California, they send their kidney transplant patients to us. They take care of them pre and post-operatively in California, they send their patients to us for kidney transplants, because we have great quality, great access, and our cost is competitive. And those are things that they’ve told us when they’ve analyzed us, this isn’t us coming up with this. When I asked Kaiser, why us? They said, Because your access is excellent, your quality is wonderful, and your cost is very competitive. So we’re building this new tower to, basically, think of a hospital within a hospital. So a transplant hospital, a neurosciences inpatient hospital, along with 32 new ORs, all in this $510 million project that’s also going on in the medical district. By the way, completely funded and supported by TGH in collaboration with USF. Those are the kind of activities that are happening in the district. If you’re an organization that does research or you’re an organization that needs access to a diverse group of people, we’re a wonderful place to come. There are over 180 nationalities represented in the Tampa Bay market, in the region and in the city, the very diverse patient population, which the researchers, both basic science researchers and the clinical researchers, know the significance of having access to a diverse population of patients, not just a population of patients, is critically important to do your work. And for the entrepreneurs that have businesses that are in an early stage place or even later stage businesses, Tampa’s a wonderful place to be because you get to access intellectual capital in a way that is very difficult to do if you’re not in a concentrated area supported by universities like the University of South Florida or the University of Tampa, for example, not to mention access to a world-class, one of the best airports in the nation. Those things matter. And then, coupled with great taxes, no income tax, a legislature at the state level that is pro-business, a city with a mayor that is pro-business, and a city commission and a county commission that is very pro-business and very pro-thoughtful growth. It’s just a wonderful place to be. And I’ve lived in a lot of different places, Tampa is one of the best places to live, hands down. Excellent school systems, good infrastructure, and getting better every day. It’s just a wonderful ecosystem. And so, you know, clearly, I’m biased, but again, I’m somebody who has got, but I am somebody who has lived in different places, and I can tell you this is one of the best.
Saul Marquez:
Man, that’s awesome. And look, I mean, I’ve got to ask this, right? I mean, all of this is very exciting. But is Tampa really ready to compete with other major cities with highly regarded medical districts like you mentioned, right? Boston, Chicago, Houston.
John Couris:
It’s a very fair question, and I would offer a very quick answer and then share a little context. The answer to your question is, yes, we are. And not only are we ready, but we are already competing with medical districts in other cities, and other academic health systems around the country. So we’re not just ready, but we’re actually doing it. That’s number one, and that’s important. Number two, this kind of districts and this kind of work takes time. Let’s take the Longwood Medical District, which probably most familiar with because I started my career at Mass General in Boston, and so I’m very familiar with the Longwood Medical District, which, by the way, is a world-class medical district. It was started in the 1900s, 1900 to be exact. Do you think they were ready back then? Absolutely. Does it take time to build it? No question. Is it one of the main reasons that Boston is considered the Silicon Valley of biotech? Without any question at all. Part of the challenge that places like Boston have is that you’ve got to be a really, really, really big fish to get noticed in an environment like that. And because it is saturated with all sorts of organizations and businesses and research facilities, because there’s a concentration of universities and medical centers in that environment, it’s hard to get noticed if you’re not an 800-pound gorilla. It is not hard to get noticed if you’re on your way up and building in an environment like Tampa. We’re not competing with Boston; we’re not. We’re not competing with some of the other medical districts around the country that have been working on their medical district for 100 years or 75 years, or 50 years; we’re not. What we have created is an alternative to certain cities that are completely saturated, and we’re creating an alternative for businesses who want to be part of an ecosystem where they can influence what actually happens within the medical and research district itself. So we’re ready, and we’re very different than other districts around the country.
Saul Marquez:
Really? And it sounds like right now, if you’re listening to this, you have an opportunity at the ground level to get in on something pretty huge. So is it something that you’re ready for? I know John and his team are, but are you ready for it? Because the opportunity is there. And one of my favorite quotes is if somebody offers you a seat in a rocket like the Outcomes Rocket, you don’t ask for a seat, you just get on and you take off. And it seems to me, John, like that’s what you guys are doing here. You’re offering seats in your rocket, and I’m excited for you guys, and I’m excited for anybody that takes advantage of. Listen, love our conversations. One more thing, what do you want people to know most about the Tampa medical district and what it will mean for the region in the future?
John Couris:
What I probably would want people to know that are listening to this, and that would be are interested in learning more is, we love to collaborate, we love to partner, we love to innovate, we really enjoy and value learning from others, we do not think we know all the answers or have all the answers. And if you’re an organization or you’re a group of people who want to create a collaborative, predicated on innovation and partnership and collaboration, then we’re a group of people you want to get to know, and we’re building an ecosystem that you’re going to want to become part of. We’re having fun, we are making a difference, we are growing businesses, we are innovating with entrepreneurs, we are doing cutting-edge research, and if you want to be part of the creation of what I’ve spent the last 30 minutes describing, then we’re somebody you want to talk to, and you want to learn more from. If you’re looking for something that is different than that, then yeah, I’ll state the obvious, we’re probably not the group or organization you want to become part of, but I would tell you what we’re doing is transformational, and what we’re doing is working, and what we’re doing is making a huge difference, not just in our city, not just in our region, not just in our state, but across our country.
Saul Marquez:
Thank you, John. And to make it actionable for people that this message has resonated for, if they are interested, how can they reach out? Who do they connect with?
John Couris:
Oh, I’m going to tell you right now. I went and grabbed my phone, which I know we’re being videoed, so that might be not a great thing.
Saul Marquez:
Not good.
John Couris:
Um, I’m going to tell you right now, I’m going to pull it up. I want you to call, this is the person you call. You’re going to call Jennifer Crabtree, and I’m going to give you her number. She’s going to love me for it, but she’s ready. So it’s Jennifer Crabtree. C R A B T B R E E, and her mobile number is 5612678456. That’s 5 6 1 2 6 7 8 4 5 6. I feel like one of those commercials on TV, but that’s okay, everybody, because I feel that passionate about it. If we don’t create collaboratives like the one we’re creating in Tampa and in Florida, and we don’t learn from each other and challenge each other and grow with each other, we are not going to be able to bend the cost curve in healthcare and improve quality in a sustainable, reproducible way. By you coming into the district, I don’t get anything for it. This is a vision, this is a thesis, this is something being modeled off of some very successful medical and research districts around the country. This is about making a difference in bending or participating in bending the curve of healthcare history for our country in a very positive and constructive way. Jennifer is the person, if you’re interested in excited, or you even want to challenge the thesis, Jennifer is the person you call. You have her direct number now, that’s how you get engaged.
Saul Marquez:
Love it, John. Hey Jennifer, thanks for connecting with the people interested. You’re probably hearing this, and so, watch out for the phone calls because the rocketeers reach out. John, I can’t thank you enough for sharing your vision and the excellent things that you guys are up to there. We’ll leave everything that you’ve mentioned in the show notes. If it has a link, we’ll put it in there, folks, for you to get in touch. We’ll leave Jennifer’s information there for you to get in touch with her as well. John, keep going with what you’re doing. Always inspired by your words and your work.
John Couris:
Thank you very much, and have a great weekend.
Saul Marquez:
You too.
John Couris:
Take care.
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