Hillsborough commissioners salute retiring TGH chief

TAMPA —Hillsborough County commissioners on Wednesday will present a proclamation recognizing the contributions of Ron Hytoff, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital, as he retires after serving the hospital for 16 years.

James R. Burkhart will start as president and CEO of Tampa General March 4. Burkhart has been president and CEO of Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, a private, not-for-profit teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Florida Health Science Center Jacksonville.

Hytoff took on the role of Tampa General's CEO in 2000, after serving as the hospital's chief operating officer for three years, according to Tampa General.

David A. Straz Jr., chairman of the Florida Health Sciences Center, the hospital's governing body, credits Hytoff with guiding the hospital's financial turnaround. “Ron lifted TGH from the precipice of collapse,” Straz said in a statement when Hytoff announced his retirement in mid-2012. The CEO agreed to remain at the helm until a successor could be found.
Under Hytoff's leadership, between 2000 and 2012, the hospital's patient volumes doubled, and net revenues more than tripled from $350 million to $1.2 billion in 2012, according to the hospital.
Tampa General's services range from trauma and burn care, to adult organ transplants. It serves a 12-county area with a population of more than 4 million.

The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., in Tampa. The presentation will occupy a brief part of the morning's agenda. The session is open to the public.