Tampa General’s Scott Arnold Recognized with an Innovators Award by Modern Healthcare

The academic health system’s executive vice president and chief digital and innovation officer is recognized for innovating transformative and cutting-edge health care solutions.

 

Tampa, FL (April 14, 2025) – Scott Arnold, executive vice president and chief digital and innovation officer at Tampa General Hospital (TGH), has been named one of the nation’s leading health care innovators for 2025 by Modern Healthcare. This award recognizes outstanding health care leaders and organizations driving innovation that enhances the quality of care and contributes to clinical and financial goals with measurable results. This marks the second consecutive year Tampa General has been represented amongst the top innovators by Modern Healthcare. Under Arnold’s leadership, the academic health system was honored for organizational leadership in health care technology in 2024. 

Since joining Tampa General in 2010, Arnold has championed the role of technology in enhancing patient care and experience, driving Tampa General’s rise as a leader in health care innovation. Arnold manages Tampa General’s technology division including information systems, enterprise analytics, cyber security, clinical engineering, biomedical equipment and TGH Ventures. 

“Scott’s visionary leadership has been instrumental in transforming Tampa General into a nationally recognized innovation hub,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. “Scott and his team are relentlessly pursuing solutions that enhance the patient experience and drive operational efficiencies, ensuring that Tampa General remains at the forefront of health care excellence and fosters a culture where innovation is woven into the fabric of everything we do.”

Arnold champions a data-driven approach to patient care, leveraging predictive analytics and AI to streamline clinical workflows, enhance care coordination and improve patient safety. Examples of this include Tampa General’s partnerships with Palantir Technologies, GE Healthcare and Philips, as well as the implementation of Microsoft’s Nuance DAX Copilot for streamlined clinical documentation.

 

Under Arnold's guidance, the academic health system’s AI-enabled Care Coordination Center has emerged as a vital tool for proactive risk identification, such as for the early detection of and intervention for sepsis and congestive heart failure, as well as for managing capacity and optimizing the health system’s day-to-day operations. Through Tampa General’s continued partnership with Palantir, the Care Coordination Center has evolved to extend real-time insights and coordinated care across the health system’s rapidly growing network of more than 150 care locations.

 

“At Tampa General, we’re driven by a patient-centric vision that puts the individual at the heart of everything we do,” said Arnold. “We’re dedicated to always looking ahead of the curve to find innovative ways to enhance patient experience, improve care quality and make health care more accessible for our community. And in that same spirit, we are pushing boundaries to solve real-world problems for our patients, providers and team members — not simply for innovating."

Beyond optimizing internal processes, Arnold has focused on transforming the patient experience. He spearheaded the transition to an online appointment booking system, significantly boosting new patient acquisitions. His vision centers on team member digital experience, patient experience, access, care coordination, navigation and reducing interoperability friction across Tampa General's expanding network.

Furthermore, Arnold fosters a culture of innovation amongst Tampa General's team members. Arnold’s team at TGH Ventures partnered with the academic health system's People Development Institute (PDI), a career development and growth facility developed by Tampa General and the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business, to launch IdeaMVP. This program enables health system staff to shepherd an innovative idea or technology from concept to solution. Winning ideas are backed with resources to implement.

This award follows Arnold’s recent recognition as one of Becker’s Hospital Review’s “Chief Innovation Officers to Know,” which he earned for the second consecutive year in December. In 2024, Arnold was also honored as one of the outlet’s “Chief Digital Officer of Hospitals and Health Systems to Know.” Under his leadership, Tampa General has achieved recognition as one of the nation’s top health systems for innovative care by such organizations as Newsweek, CHIME and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

Arnold and this year's complete class of Modern Healthcare Innovators are profiled here.