Inefficiencies in Hub-and-Spoke Systems: Balancing Outcomes and Length of Stay

A multi-state cohort study examined hub and spoke healthcare systems and found that while hub hospitals had lower odds of death or serious morbidity (DSM) for complex operations, they had higher odds of prolonged length of stay (LOS) for common operations. This suggests that there is an opportunity to improve system efficiency within these healthcare systems. The study included 122,895 patients across 43 hub-and-spoke systems and analyzed data from 13 states between 2016 and 2018.