Massachusetts hospitals discharge a larger portion of their patients to other health care settings than the national average, a difference that has contributed to the state's higher post-acute care costs and has driven health care spending, a state analysis concludes. The findings come courtesy of a supplemental cost trend analysis report undertaken by the state's Health Policy Commission, which is tasked with keeping state health care costs and quality in check. The state first performed the analysis in 2013, and will conduct a hearing on the first cumulative comparative results come October 2014. In the interim, analysts looked to further delve into the 2013 findings, issuing a supplemental report in July.
