Program Director Capacity Management & Throughput

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The Program Director, Capacity Management & Throughput is a highly visible, action-oriented nursing leader responsible for driving efficient patient flow across Baystate Medical Center. This role focuses on reducing barriers to throughput, improving bed capacity management, accelerating admissions and discharges, and ensuring patients move safely and efficiently through the continuum of care.

Reporting directly to the Baystate Medical Center CNO, this leader works alongside the Chief Capacity Management Officer and collaborates with nursing, physicians, case management, emergency department leadership, perioperative services, environmental services, patient transport, ancillary departments, and hospital administration. The ideal candidate has a strong clinical nursing background, prior nurse manager experience, and a hands-on leadership style.

• Lead hospital-wide patient throughput initiatives, including admissions, transfers, discharges, bed placement, and capacity management.
• Monitor daily patient flow metrics and intervene quickly when delays or bottlenecks arise.
• Partner with the emergency department, inpatient units, procedural areas, and case management to improve timely patient placement.
• Support timely discharge planning and remove barriers that delay progression of care.
• Collaborate with bed management, transport, environmental services, and clinical teams to ensure beds are turned over and patients are moved efficiently.
• Participate in daily safety huddles, capacity meetings, bed meetings, and operational escalation discussions.

• Provide operational oversight and real-time support to nursing units to ensure safe, efficient, and effective care delivery.
• Round regularly on inpatient units, procedural areas, and other clinical departments to assess patient flow, staffing concerns, and operational barriers.
• Serve as a visible and accessible leader to frontline staff, charge nurses, nurse managers, and interdisciplinary partners.
• Escalate operational concerns appropriately and follow through until resolution.
• Assist with patient movement, unit coordination, and hands-on operational problem-solving when needed.
• Promote standard work, accountability, and consistent execution of hospital throughput processes.
• Coach and support charge nurses, nurse managers, and frontline nursing teams in managing patient flow and operational priorities.
• Serve as a resource for clinical decision-making, prioritization, escalation, and conflict resolution.
• Reinforce expectations for communication, teamwork, responsiveness, and ownership.
• Foster a culture of urgency, collaboration, professionalism, and patient-centered care.
• Support nursing leadership development and succession planning within assigned areas.

• Ensure throughput improvements are aligned with patient safety, quality outcomes, regulatory requirements, and nursing standards of care.
• Track and analyze key performance indicators such as length of stay, discharge times, ED boarding, transfer delays, bed turnaround time, and admission cycle time.
• Identify trends, root causes, and recurring barriers affecting hospital flow.
• Lead or participate in performance improvement initiatives focused on operational efficiency and clinical outcomes.
• Ensure compliance with hospital policies, accreditation standards, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Build strong working relationships with physicians, nursing leaders, ancillary departments, and administrative leaders.
• Communicate operational priorities clearly and consistently across departments.
• Facilitate rapid problem-solving between teams when patient progression is delayed.
• Provide recommendations to the Leadership regarding throughput performance and operational needs

• Successfully passed Board of Registration in Nursing Examination and is licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Current American Heart Association Health Care Provider CPR certification required.
• Education:
  
  Master of Nursing Healthcare Administration or related field required
• Professional Nurse Certification- sit within 6 months, pass within 1 year
• 5+ years of nursing experience in an acute, hospital setting.
• Demonstrated experience supporting hospital operations, patient flow, capacity management, or clinical throughput.
• Strong understanding of inpatient nursing operations, discharge coordination, admissions, transfers, and escalation processes.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-acuity hospital environment.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, influence across departments, and drive accountability.

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