Date of Conferral

12-4-2025

Date of Award

December 2025

Degree

Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Kim Critchlow

Abstract

High psychiatric hospital readmission rates threaten patient stability, strain hospital finances, and reduce community wellbeing. Psychiatric hospital leaders need effective strategies to lower readmissions. Grounded in complex adaptive systems theory and the balanced scorecard framework, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project was to identify and explore effective strategies used by psychiatric hospital directors to reduce readmission rates, increase revenue, and improve patient outcomes. The participants were seven psychiatric hospital directors who had implemented strategies for reduced readmission rates. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and relevant public documents. Using thematic analysis, five themes were identified: (a) establish a readmission tracking task force, (b) operate within the state budget, (c) ensure timely and effective discharge planning, (d) use a multidisciplinary team approach, and (e) reduce readmission rates. Key recommendations include psychiatric hospital directors understanding the relationships among the variables in the discharge planning system, setting short- and long-term goals and objectives, measuring the outcomes and adjusting as needed. The implications for positive social change include the potential for psychiatric hospital directors and organizations to implement the identified strategies, thereby reducing readmission rates, improving patient outcomes, and increasing revenues that can be used to help create healthy communities. Additionally, the implications contribute to promoting the systematization of key processes within psychiatric hospitals to inspire and motivate stakeholders to work towards improving services to improve patients’ outcomes.

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