Director of Patient Throughput

MemorialCare•Long Beach, CA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Patient Throughput is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for patient flow across all clinical and procedural areas. This position oversees systems and processes that support timely admissions, transfers, discharges, bed placement, transport coordination, and capacity management. The Director partners with executive, physicians, nursing, clinical, operational, MemorialCare campus, and Shared Services leaders to identify barriers to patient flow and implement data-driven strategies that improve access, reduce length of stay, optimize capacity, and support safe, effective, efficient, and patient-centered care.

Requirements

Minimum 7 years’ progressively responsible healthcare leadership experience in hospital operations, patient throughput, quality management, care coordination, finance, or a related operational discipline preferred.
Minimum 3 years’ managerial experience in a hospital or healthcare system, preferably overseeing patient throughput, capacity management, quality management, performance improvement, or related functions preferred.
Demonstrated experience in hospital or health system operations, including patient throughput, case management, transfer operations, bed management, discharge planning, or performance improvement.
Strong data literacy with the ability to interpret length of stay, throughput, capacity, productivity, and operational performance data to identify gaps, evaluate trends, and drive sustainable solutions.
Proven ability to influence without direct authority, lead through change, facilitate decision-making, and align multidisciplinary teams around shared operational priorities.
Demonstrated confidence and professionalism when engaging physicians, executive leaders, clinical teams, and cross-functional stakeholders.
Solution-oriented and innovative, with the ability to evaluate complex operational issues, test new approaches, and implement practical improvements in a dynamic healthcare environment.
Experience leading executive-level engagement, performance improvement initiatives, process redesign, change management, and cross-functional project execution.
Advanced knowledge of hospital operations, patient flow principles, bed management, care coordination, discharge progression, regulatory expectations, and quality improvement methodologies.
Strong leadership, communication, facilitation, problem-solving, analytical, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to prioritize competing demands, manage complex projects, promote accountability, and make timely decisions that support patient safety, access, quality, and operational efficiency.
Bachelor of nursing required.
Current California Registered Nurse (RN) license required.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Provider required.

Nice To Haves

Master of nursing or other related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Provides leadership and oversight for admissions, discharges, transfers, bed placement, transport coordination, and related patient logistics functions to ensure timely, safe, and efficient care delivery.
Leads and implements initiatives to identify, escalate, and resolve barriers to patient flow, including capacity constraints, staffing challenges, discharge delays, transfer delays, and process inefficiencies.
Directs centralized patient flow functions, including bed management, transfer center operations, transport coordination, throughput huddles, and command center or command infrastructure activities, as applicable.
Serves as a key liaison among departments, providers, nursing leaders, ancillary services, case management, and operational teams to foster multidisciplinary collaboration and accountability for patient flow performance.
Develops, monitors, and reports key performance indicators, including length of stay, admission-to-bed assignment time, discharge efficiency, transfer acceptance and placement timelines, bed utilization, avoidable delays, and other capacity management metrics.
Prepares and presents patient flow performance reports, trend analyses, operational risks, and strategic recommendations to executive leadership and other key stakeholders.
Ensures patient flow initiatives and operational practices comply with applicable regulatory, accreditation, safety, quality, and organizational requirements.
Manages operational budgets, staffing models, position requests, productivity expectations, and resource allocation to support efficient and effective throughput operations.
Leads special projects and performance improvement initiatives by developing work plans, defining resource needs, engaging stakeholders, monitoring progress, and ensuring successful execution and sustainable outcomes.
Oversees staff development, coaching, performance management, training, and succession planning for assigned teams in alignment with organizational policies and leadership expectations.
Performs other duties as assigned.