Ardent Health Services

Assistant Vice President, Emergency Department Operations

Ardent Health Services$120K — $150K *
Healthcare
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business, or a related field.
  • 7+ years of progressive hospital or healthcare operations leadership experience.
  • Experience leading throughput, bed management, transfer center operations, or capacity management in a multi-hospital environment.
  • Familiarity with operational analytics, dashboards, and forecasting tools.
  • Strong understanding of inpatient flow and clinical workflows.
  • Proven ability to implement large-scale operational change and drive performance improvement.
  • Effective collaborator with executives and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and execute a systemwide ED operations and throughput strategy.
  • Standardize operational workflows, including triage processes and staffing models.
  • Lead initiatives to reduce ED length of stay and optimize key throughput metrics.
  • Partner with inpatient operations to improve admit-to-bed processes and reduce diversion.
  • Monitor ED KPIs, using analytics for continuous performance improvement.
  • Conduct assessments of ED performance to identify bottlenecks and implement improvements.
  • Collaborate with ED physician groups and nursing leaders to enhance operational efficiency.

Benefits

  • Opportunities for professional development and advancement.
  • Access to a supportive leadership team and cross-functional collaboration.
  • Involvement in innovative projects like tele-triage expansion.
  • Exposure to multi-state healthcare operations, enhancing career growth.
  • Networking with industry experts through enterprise ED councils.
Full Job Description
POSITION SUMMARY:

The AVP of Emergency Department (ED) Operations provides system-level leadership for Emergency Department performance, access, throughput, and operational efficiency across multiple hospitals in several states. This leader drives improvements in ED flow, reduces boarding and diversion, and ensures standardized best practices across diverse markets.

Responsibilities

  • Develops and executes systemwide ED operations and throughput strategy to improve flow, safety, and patient experience across all emergency departments.
  • Standardizes ED operational workflows and models, including triage processes, fast-track/split-flow, staffing models, and surge response protocols.
  • Leads system initiatives to reduce ED length of stay, LWBS, arrival-to-provider time, and other key throughput metrics.
  • Partners with inpatient operations and capacity management teams to reduce ED boarding, improves admit-to-bed processes, and decreases diversion.
  • Creates and monitors ED KPIs, ensuring hospital teams use analytics and dashboards to drive performance improvements.
  • Conducts systemwide assessments of ED performance, identifying bottlenecks and leading targeted operational improvement plans.
  • Collaborates with ED physician groups, nursing leaders, ancillary departments, and hospital executives to optimize frontline operations and workflow reliability.
  • Ensures ED compliance with EMTALA and regulatory standards, maintaining high reliability in patient access, screening, and stabilization requirements.
  • Leads strategic projects, including behavioral health throughput improvements, tele-triage expansion, acute care pathway development, and high-acuity patient flow redesign.
  • Facilitates enterprise ED councils or leadership workgroups, promotes alignment, shares learning, and standardizes practice across the organization.


Qualifications

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business, or a related field.
  • 7+ years of progressive hospital or healthcare operations leadership experience.
  • Demonstrated experience leading throughput, bed management, transfer center operations, or capacity management in a multi-hospital environment.
  • Experience interpreting and utilizing operational analytics, dashboards, and forecasting tools.
  • Strong understanding of inpatient flow, clinical workflows, and care progression methodologies.
  • Proven ability to lead large-scale operational change and drive performance improvement.
  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with executives, clinicians, and cross-functional stakeholders.


Preferred Qualifications
  • Master's degree (MHA, MBA, MSN, MPH or related).
  • RN licensure (active or ineligible status) strongly preferred.
  • Experience in a centralized command center or real-time health system operations environment.
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
  • Experience working within multi-state or complex healthcare delivery systems.
  • Demonstrated success improving LOS, reducing avoidable days, or optimizing throughput at an enterprise scale.

About Ardent Health Services

Ardent Health Services is a healthcare company that operates hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the United States. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Nashville, TN. Ardent Health Services is committed to providing high-quality healthcare services to patients and their families. The company's mission is to improve the health of the communities it serves by providing compassionate, personalized care.
Learn more about Ardent Health Services
Size
30,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1993

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