After USF and Bayfront Health St. Petersburg signed an agreement Tuesday, some USF Health physicians may find themselves working across the bay in the near future.

The agreement allowed USF Health and Bayfront to enter an academic partnership. It also allowed the St. Pete hospital to contract USF physicians for surgical and medical services. 

Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health’s director of public affairs, said the first physicians contracted by Bayfront will specialize in general and interventional cardiology, as well as colorectal surgery. Baier said Bayfront may be able to contract physicians in additional disciplines such as breast cancer, urogynecology and reproductive endocrinology are being explored as the partnership continues.

According to John Robinson, USF Health’s chief communications officer, this new partnership is one of many between the medical school and hospitals, clinics and treatment centers throughout the area. On USF’s side of the partnership, Robinson said it just makes sense for USF Health to continue to expand its areas of medical training and patient care.

“Bayfront is one of the last really large companies in the area that did not have a close relationship with USF Health where we could send our doctors to not only train but provide cutting-edge care,” he said.

Robinson said because USF Health does not have its own exclusive teaching hospital, it gives the medical school the freedom to partner with other medical centers throughout the region. Additionally, he said being associated with USF Health is a mark of prestige for a medical center.

“From the standpoint of Bayfront, it just makes sense because it allows them to be associated with the premier medical institution in Florida right now,” he said. “There’s a great deal of research and education that’s taking place in the areas where they’re providing care. It was a win-win to have this relationship.”

The last academic partnership USF entered before Bayfront was with Florida Advanced Cardiothoracic (FACT) Surgery in June, which made FACT Surgery doctors affiliate USF faculty members and allowing them to provide USF Health with previously unavailable training opportunities in heart and lung medical subspecialties.

Other USF Health medical center affiliates include Tampa General Hospital, USF College of Medicine’s primary teaching hospital, as well as the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, All Children’s Hospital and the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.