Manager, Access to Care
About The Position
Reporting to the Director of Patient Flow, the Manager, Access to Care directly manages and supervises site-based Bed Allocation staff, ensuring accountability and operational continuity. The role supports efficient patient transitions, proactive capacity planning, and quality improvement aligned with hospital and system-wide goals. It works closely with multidisciplinary teams to optimize bed management, discharge planning, and resource utilization while supporting an exceptional patient care experience. The Manager leads patient flow operations at the assigned site, coordinates capacity and transfers, addresses barriers to discharge, and develops site-specific plans to meet flow and capacity targets. The position collaborates with hospital teams, corporate patient flow, the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health Teams, and community partners to support safe, timely, patient- and family-centered transitions. It also leads quality improvement work and uses data and trends to guide operational decisions and system improvements.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration, Nursing, or a related field.
- At least 5 years of experience in a healthcare leadership role focused on patient flow, bed management, or discharge planning.
- Proven ability to lead and manage multidisciplinary teams in a hospital setting.
- Experience with quality improvement methodologies and co-designing initiatives with stakeholders.
- Exceptional leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
- Strong problem-solving abilities and strategic thinking.
- Proficiency with hospital information systems such as EPIC or Meditech and the Microsoft Office Suite.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced and complex environment.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree in Health Administration, Business, or a related field.
Responsibilities
- Provide leadership for patient flow operations at the assigned site.
- Oversee daily Flow and Capacity Planning meetings and huddles to review capacity, expected discharges, and barriers.
- Support inpatient staff and work closely with Charge Nurses, Social Workers, and management.
- Guide the Bed Allocation team in safe, timely, and appropriate patient placement.
- Collaborate with the staffing office to support safe staffing levels and appropriate capacity management.
- Work with physicians on early, proactive discharge planning and real-time patient placement challenges.
- Resolve discharge delays with stakeholders across the organization and proactively manage and create capacity.
- Coordinate with After-Hours Shift Managers to support transitions between workday and after-hours operations.
- Monitor and manage site capacity to ensure timely patient placement.
- Coordinate repatriations and interfacility transfers.
- Collaborate with the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health Teams, and community resources on partnerships and safe patient transitions.
- Identify and address discharge and patient-flow barriers in real time, escalating issues as required.
- Lead quality improvement initiatives related to patient flow and discharge processes.
- Co-design and implement initiatives to improve flow, reduce barriers, and optimize operations.
- Co-chair patient flow committees and lead workshops to improve patient flow and operational efficiency.
- Work with teams to develop solutions to recurring challenges and measure their impact.
- Develop and implement site-specific action plans to meet organizational flow and capacity targets.
- Align short- and long-term patient-flow and capacity-creation strategies with counterparts at other SHN sites.
- Analyze and present data and trends to support evidence-based decisions and system improvements.
- Serve as the primary liaison between site operations and the corporate patient flow team.
- Communicate plans, challenges, and updates across all levels of staff.
- Collaborate with community partners to support continuity of care for discharged patients.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
