When you need timely medical care, a hospital stay isn’t always the answer. Think Ambulatory First™ (TAF™) is Tampa General Hospital’s care model for delivering coordinated, hospital- quality care in the outpatient setting — so eligible patients can get the evaluation, treatment, and follow-up they need without being admitted to the hospital.
TAF™ brings emergency, inpatient, and outpatient care teams together around one simple principle: when it is safe and clinically appropriate, patients should be able to get the imaging, labs, infusions, and specialty follow-up they need in a comfortable outpatient clinic rather than an inpatient bed. At the center of this model is the DIVeRT™ Clinic — a dedicated care- transition hub that makes ambulatory-first care reliable, coordinated, and close to home.
Why Think Ambulatory First
Patients in the TAF™ model benefit from:
- Timely access to hospital-quality evaluation and treatment — without a hospital admission
- Coordinated care that bridges the hospital, the Emergency Department, and your primary and specialty providers
- A dedicated care team — physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and care coordinators — guiding every step
- Rapid access to diagnostics, IV and infusion therapy, and specialty follow-up
- The comfort and convenience of outpatient care, closer to home
- Fewer avoidable hospital stays, emergency visits, and readmissions
The DIVeRT™ Clinic
The DIVeRT™ Clinic — Delivering Interdisciplinary Value-Based Research & Treatment — is the physical home of the Think Ambulatory First™ model. It is a dedicated care-transition hub for patients who have been seen in the hospital, the Emergency Department, or an outpatient clinic and need prompt specialty follow-up or acute, non-emergent care.
The clinic’s mission is simple: to bridge the gap between acute and primary care, making sure every patient receives the right care, at the right time, in the right setting. Rather than being admitted or waiting weeks for a follow-up appointment, eligible patients are connected to a multidisciplinary team that can evaluate, treat, and coordinate their next steps — often within a day or two.
What the DIVeRT™ Clinic provides
- Rapid, multidisciplinary clinical evaluation
- Diagnostics and treatment started during critical care transitions
- IV and infusion therapy for select acute and sub-acute conditions
- Expedited referrals to targeted specialty services
- Telehealth and in-person visits
- Proactive follow-up and patient education to support recovery, medication adherence, and continuity of care
The DIVeRT™ Clinic is located within the Specialty Clinic at TGH Health Park 5802 N 30th St, Building C, Tampa, FL 33610 and is staffed by a team of physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, medical assistants, pharmacy partners, and community health workers who specialize in transitional care. As the program grows, the clinic is expanding its space and infusion capacity to serve more patients across the Tampa Bay community.
Patients enter the Think Ambulatory First™ model through a referral — most often from the Emergency Department, an inpatient care team, or a primary care or specialty clinic. Care teams identify patients whose conditions can be safely managed in the outpatient setting with the right imaging, labs, treatment, and follow-up.
- Identification & referral — A care team member identifies a patient who may be a good fit for ambulatory-first care and places a referral to the DIVeRT™ Clinic.
- Rapid evaluation — The patient is seen promptly by the DIVeRT™ care team for a multidisciplinary evaluation.
- Treatment & diagnostics — Needed diagnostics, IV or infusion therapy, or other treatments are started in the clinic — helping the patient avoid an unnecessary hospital admission.
- Specialty coordination — When specialty care is needed, the team arranges expedited referrals and appointments.
- Follow-up & continuity — The team provides proactive follow-up, patient education, and a warm hand-off back to the patient’s primary and specialty providers.
Because TAF™ connects the hospital, the ED, and outpatient teams around a shared set of care pathways, patients experience a smoother, faster, better-coordinated journey — and providers have a trusted place to send patients who need timely care but not a hospital bed.
Think Ambulatory First™ uses evidence-based clinical pathways created by subject matter experts in their field so referring providers and patients have a clear, consistent process. The DIVeRT™ Clinic commonly supports conditions such as:
- Heart failure
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Acute Kidney Injury and Dehydration requiring IV fluids
- Cellulitis and other skin and soft-tissue infections
- Osteomyelitis and other conditions requiring outpatient IV antibiotics
- Iron-deficiency anemia and IV iron therapy
- Conditions requiring paracentesis
- Sickle cell disease
- Patients requiring total parenteral nutrition (TPN) support
- Coordinated follow-up for incidental findings identified on imaging
Care pathways are continually expanding. Referrals can be placed from the Emergency Department, inpatient units, and ambulatory primary care and specialty clinics. Eligibility is determined by the care team based on each patient’s clinical needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Think Ambulatory First™ (TAF™)?
Think Ambulatory First™ (TAF™) is Tampa General Hospital’s care model for delivering coordinated, hospital-quality care in the outpatient setting. It helps eligible patients get the evaluation, treatment, and follow-up they need — including diagnostics, infusions, and specialty care — without being admitted to the hospital, when it is safe and clinically appropriate to do so.
What is the DIVeRT™ Clinic?
The DIVeRT™ Clinic (Delivering Interdisciplinary Value-Based Research & Treatment) is the outpatient clinic where Think Ambulatory First™ care is delivered. It is a dedicated care- transition hub for patients coming from the hospital, the Emergency Department, or outpatient clinics who need prompt specialty follow-up or acute, non-emergent care.
How do patients enter the program?
Patients are referred into the program — most often by the Emergency Department, an inpatient care team, or a primary care or specialty clinic. A care team member identifies patients whose conditions can be safely managed in the outpatient setting and places a referral to the DIVeRT™ Clinic.
What kinds of care can I receive at the DIVeRT™ Clinic?
The clinic provides rapid, multidisciplinary evaluation; diagnostics and treatment during care transitions; IV and infusion therapy for select conditions; expedited referrals to specialty services; telehealth and in-person visits; and proactive follow-up and patient education to support your recovery.
How is this different from going to the Emergency Department or being admitted?
The DIVeRT™ Clinic is designed for patients who need timely medical care but not emergency or inpatient care. When it is safe, the clinic provides the evaluation, treatment, and follow-up you need in an outpatient setting — helping you avoid an unnecessary hospital stay while staying closely connected to your providers.
How is Think Ambulatory First™ different from TGH at Home?
Both are Tampa General programs that help patients get the right care in the right place. TGH at Home delivers hospital-level care in a patient’s home for those who would otherwise be admitted. Think Ambulatory First™ and the DIVeRT™ Clinic deliver coordinated outpatient care in a clinic setting to help appropriate patients avoid admission in the first place.
Who is on my care team?
The DIVeRT™ Clinic team includes physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, medical assistants, pharmacy partners, and community health workers who specialize in transitional care and work closely with your primary care and specialty providers.
Where is the clinic located and what are its hours?
The DIVeRT™ Clinic is located within the Specialty Clinic at TGH Health Park. 5802 N 30th St, Building C, Tampa, FL 33610. Clinic hours are Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM
Will my insurance cover care at the DIVeRT™ Clinic?
DIVeRT™ Clinic visits are billed as outpatient services. There are no insurance plan limitations.
Program Impact
“Since its launch, Think Ambulatory First™ has helped thousands of patients receive timely care in the outpatient setting — keeping readmissions low and returning valuable hospital capacity to the patients who need it most.” In calendar year 2025, 600+ patients per month are referred into the program, maintaining a readmissions rate of < 5%
Information for Referring Providers
Think Ambulatory First™ gives referring providers a dependable, coordinated alternative to hospital admission for appropriate patients. The DIVeRT™ Clinic offers rapid access to reassessment, treatment, infusion services, and specialty coordination — with clear pathways and closed-loop follow-up back to the patient’s care team.
To refer a patient or learn more:
- Phone: 813- 844-8383
- Referral process: Place an Epic consult or call the clinic directly. Our team confirms
eligibility, schedules the visit and closes the loop with the referring provider. - Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Think Ambulatory First™ (TAF™) and DIVeRT™ are trademarks used by Tampa General Hospital. Their use here does not assert trademark registration