Cady Edwards, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Section of Hospital Medicine, has been named Capacity Management Medical Director for BJC HealthCare.
In this role, Edwards will partner with nursing, physician, and operational leaders across the system to advance the strategic priorities of the Capacity Management Center.
“This appointment also reflects the continued evolution of the Capacity Management Center,” said Amy Hunter, BSN, MHS, RN, CPHQ, NEA-BC, Vice President, Patient Care Systems & Associate Chief Nurse Executive for BJC HealthCare. “Historically, the Medical Director role focused primarily on partnership with the Transfer Center. As our capacity management strategy has matured and become increasingly integrated across the system, the scope of the role has expanded to provide physician leadership for both the Transfer Center and Patient Placement functions. This expanded responsibility will strengthen alignment across the continuum of patient movement, support more coordinated decision-making, and enhance our ability to optimize access, throughput, and patient flow across BJC.”
Hunter noted that Edwards brings expertise in triage, patient flow, and system coordination that makes her uniquely qualified to lead this next phase of capacity management and support the system’s commitment to delivering safe, timely, and exceptional care for patients.
“Since joining Hospital Medicine in 2020, Dr. Cady Edwards demonstrates outstanding clinical excellence, commitment to operational improvement, and a collaborative spirit. She is an exceptional choice to lead the BJC Capacity Management Center team,” said Michael Lin, MD, SFHM, Chief of the Section of Hospital Medicine, who served as the inaugural Transfer Center Medical Director.
Edwards serves as Director of the Medicine Triage Attending Service. In this role, she collaborates closely with the Emergency Department, Patient Placement, Transfer Center, ICU, and inpatient teams to ensure patients receive the appropriate level of care while advancing efficient patient throughput and care coordination. She also serves on multiple committees across WashU Medicine and BJC HealthCare and has been recognized with awards including the COVID STAR award for significant clinical contributions through the COVID-19 pandemic and the Hospital Medicine Excellence in Nocturnal Medicine award. She earned her medical degree from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and completed an internal medicine residency at WashU Medicine.
“I am excited and honored to be named Medical Director for BJC Capacity Management,” Edwards said. “I hope to continue improving interhospital transfer processes for BJC to get our patients the care they need at the right time and place. I want to thank Dr. Mike Lin for his leadership and mentorship as I enter into this role and look forward to exciting things to come for our patients and care teams!”