Date of Award

2-13-2026

Embargo Period

2-17-2026

Document Type

Dissertation - MUSC Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Health Administration

Department

Health Administration

College

College of Health Professions

First Advisor

Daniel Brinton

Second Advisor

Trudie Milner

Third Advisor

Megan Wider

Abstract

Towards the end of 2024, the market president of a five-hospital market within an academic health system established an Emergency Department Boarding Task Force to reduce median holding times. Each hospital was set a stretch goal for 2025, committing to a 15% reduction from the previous year's figures. This indicated they were expected to exceed their 2024 goals significantly. The interdisciplinary task force comprised members from various hospital departments, including emergency department physicians, hospital operations leaders, support services, and nursing leadership.

A retrospective quantitative cohort study was conducted to measure median holding times. The objective of this study was to determine if median holding times decreased following the initiation of the emergency department boarding task force for patients treated in emergency departments across a five-hospital academic health system in a metropolitan area. The study included participants of all ages, races, and ethnicities.

The Emergency Department Boarding Taskforce successfully reduced median holding times through strategic initiatives that aligned both clinical and non-clinical resources to provide high-quality patient care.

Rights

Copyright is held by the author. All rights reserved.

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