Tampa General Hospital

Health insurance can feel like a riddle with no clear answers. On this episode of our #GiveItToMeStraightDoc Podcast, we break down how it really works—and how you might pay less. Listen to the episode on major podcast platforms, or watch here: bit.ly/4nCjqu5

@smithsphone We know scheduling matters, and we’ve been actively working to improve how patients connect with our teams. Feedback like this helps us identify where systems break down so we can continue to improve. Please call 813-821-9151 so our patient relations team can listen and help.

@TGHCares @TGHCares On hold for FORTY MINUTES and counting to make an appointment.

It’s simple: more expertise means more life-saving care. Count on Tampa General. As Florida’s premier academic health system and the #1 hospital in Tampa Bay, our relentless pursuit of excellence delivers expert care centered around you. #WeAreTGH #TheAcademicDifference

This Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we recognize the cultures and contributions that enrich our team and strengthen our care. Grateful for the voices, experiences and leadership that continue to shape our organization. #AANHPIHeritageMonth

@DefiantResista1 Hello, we would like to get some details about your experience. If you would be willing to discuss this with a member of our patient relations team so they can address your concerns, please call (813) 844-7249 or email patientrelations@tgh.org. Thank you

Tampa General Hospital @TGHCares screwed up my appointment location today that I was forced to travel miles out of my way to make the appointment. They are using a Call Center for appointment scheduling and these people are clueless. Maybe it is time to find another doctor.

Is stopping at the drugstore to pick up prescriptions a thing of the past? In our #GiveItToMeStraightDoc podcast, former CEO of @Walgreens shares how competition from companies like Amazon and Uber is reshaping delivery, convenience and patient experience: bit.ly/3QBVQRP

@VinoNStrosGal We really appreciate you sharing, and would like to get more details about your experience at TGH. If you would be willing to discuss this with a member of our patient relations team so they can address your concerns, please call (813) 844-7249 or email patientrelations@tgh.org.

I didn’t realize how much I was avoiding the world just so I wouldn’t have to see the version of myself I can’t be anymore. For three years, I’ve been sick. Long COVID, POTS, MCAS, chronic pain. My world got smaller, but it got smaller in a way that protected me. I wasn’t going out. I wasn’t around crowds. I wasn’t seeing people my age living their lives. I was in my own bubble. Appointments. Infusions. Home. The area of Florida I live in is quieter. There’s not much going on, and I didn’t realize how much that helped me mentally, because I wasn’t being confronted with everything I can’t do anymore. I didn’t have to see it. Last night changed that. I spent nine hours in a hospital hallway. Not in a room. In a hallway. Beds lined up. People everywhere. Staff moving constantly, focused, locked in. You could hear everything. No privacy. No real sense of being taken care of, just… placed somewhere. This was at Tampa General Hospital. It’s a major trauma center. The kind of place where everything is moving fast and people are coming in with life-threatening emergencies. And I get it. But when you’re not dying, and you’re not well either, you just sit there. You wait. You become part of the background. I asked for my medications. I didn’t get them. I was in pain all day, but after a while I just stopped asking. Everyone was overwhelmed. It wasn’t intentional. But it still happened. Nothing got done. After nine hours, I left. What got me wasn’t even the hospital. It was the Uber ride home. It was Friday night, and we got stuck in traffic right by the University of Tampa. And I saw everything. College kids walking around, dressed up, laughing, going out for the night. People playing volleyball, running around, sweating, just living their lives. And I just sat there in the back of an Uber, coming from a hospital where I had just spent nine hours in a hallway. I felt like a ghost. Like I was watching a life I should still be living. That contrast hit me all at once. I used to be that person. I played volleyball. That was a huge part of my life. And I haven’t seen anything like that in three years. Not like that. Not up close. And then I realized something else. I’ve become afraid. Being in that Uber didn’t feel normal. I was watching everything. Watching the driver, watching the route, thinking about things I never used to think about. I used to just get in an Uber and go to dinner. Last night I got in an Uber as someone coming home from a hospital, exhausted, in pain, and I didn’t feel safe. That’s not who I used to be. I always thought I was handling this well. People tell me I’m strong. That I’ve adjusted. But I realized last night, I wasn’t handling it because I’m strong. I was handling it because I built my life in a way where I didn’t have to see what I lost. Last night, I saw it. We live in a world that rewards people who can move, work, go out, contribute in visible ways. If you can’t, you slowly disappear. Not because people are cruel. Just because the system doesn’t have a place for you. You’re not urgent enough to prioritize, but not well enough to function. So you sit in hallways. You wait. I didn’t realize how much I was protecting myself until I couldn’t anymore. And I don’t think I was ready to see it all at once. But I saw it.

Why do the same prescriptions cost less in other countries? In this episode of #GiveItToMeStraightDoc, Bill Hepscher, founder of Canadian Medstore, explains how patients are accessing lower-cost medications and why geography can make such a difference: bit.ly/41M4L5A

@Brian_Teeter Hello, we would like to get some additional details about your experience with us. If you would be willing to discuss this with a member of our patient relations team so they can address your concerns, please call (813) 844-7249 or email patientrelations@tgh.org. Thank you

What a waste of a day. I took the afternoon to get medical tests done. Blood tests weren't ordered, so that trip was a waste of time. Go to imaging, wait 3 fucking hours, only to finally get my MRI and it's the wrong order wrong part of my body. Thanks a lot @TGHCares. Glad I wasted my whole day and a ton of money for nothing.

Upset with your pharmacist about the price of medication? Turns out you may need to take a chill pill. In this episode of our #GiveItToMeStraightDoc podcast, learn why local pharmacies aren’t the ones driving prices—and what patients may be missing: bit.ly/41M4L5A

After an injury, @TBLightning's @OBjorkstrand was treated at TGH for a serious condition. Supported by our multispecialty team at Florida's premier academic health system, in partnership with @USFHealth, he received the expert care he needed.⚡#WeAreTGH #TheAcademicDifference

We’re proud to partner with @MyFDOT_Tampa to bring CarFit to our community, helping older drivers stay safe behind the wheel. Join us on April 11 to learn how small adjustments can make a big difference. 🚗 #WeAreTGH

Are you overpaying for prescriptions? In episode three of our #GiveItToMeStraightDoc podcast, Tim Wentworth, former CEO of @Walgreens, shares how generics, insurance and pharmacy tools can help lower out-of-pocket costs. Watch the full episode now: bit.ly/41M4L5A

Happy Easter! Wishing our community a day filled with fresh beginnings, joy, and time spent with those who matter most. ✝️ #HappyEaster

Wishing our community a meaningful Passover, honoring storytelling, reflection and generations of shared experience. 💙 #HappyPassover

This #NationalDoctorsDay, we celebrate the physicians of TGH and @usfhealth who deliver excellence at the region’s only academic health system. As scientists, surgeons, innovators and educators, they drive discovery, improving lives across our community every day. 💙 #WeAreTGH

What if family caregivers had the training they needed from day one? In episode two of our #GiveItToMeStraightDoc podcast, Neal Shah, CEO of @WeAreCareYaya, shares how AI-powered tools are helping people care for loved ones at home. Watch here: bit.ly/404MM9R

As the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close, we wish peace, reflection and joyful time with family and loved ones. Happy Eid al-Fitr! 🌙

Watch highlights from a powerful community conversation about the future of health care. Leaders from Tampa General Hospital and @MassGenBrigham shared how our partnership will expand coordinated ambulatory care across Palm Beach and Martin counties. #WeAreTGH

What if hospital-level care could happen in your own home? In episode 2 of our #GiveItToMeStraightDoc podcast, Dr. Chang explains how our TGH at Home program uses AI and remote monitoring to care for patients beyond hospital walls. Watch the full episode: bit.ly/404MM9R