Hub-and-Spoke Model
A care delivery architecture that centralizes complex, specialized services at a main facility (the hub) and connects it to smaller, local clinics (spokes) for basic care and follow-up. The model creates a tiered system for efficient, coordinated, and scalable patient care, leveraging technology like telehealth for real-time support and data exchange between hub and spoke sites.
The hub-and-spoke model has become a foundational framework for rural health infrastructure planning nationally, appearing in RHTP applications, CMS innovation models, and state telehealth strategies. It acknowledges that not every rural community can support specialist services, but that every community should have a connection point to those services. For Ready.net, the Portal product is effectively a spoke endpoint — a community-level access point connected via telehealth to specialist hubs, whether those are urban medical centers, CCBHCs, or PACE facilities. The RHTP's Provider Collaborative Network initiative formalizes this architecture at scale across Oklahoma's rural health system.
Critical Infrastructure Terms
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