Role of hospital connectedness in brain metastasis outcomes

Role of hospital connectedness in brain metastasis outcomes
JAMA Network Open; by Lilin Tong, Ruchit V Patel, Ayal A Aizer, Amar Dhand, Wenya Linda Bi; 9/23/24
Is hospital connectedness associated with clinical outcomes of patients with brain metastases? In this cohort study of 4679 patients with brain metastases in Massachusetts, increased connectedness of a hospital, defined as the weighted sum of ties to other care facilities, was associated with improved inpatient mortality. Hospital connectedness operated independently from hospital volume in its association with inpatient mortality and length of stay. These findings suggest that relationships between hospitals are associated with changes in patient outcomes in the interdisciplinary care of patients with brain metastases, likely owing to specialized and interdisciplinary care required in the disease management.