Insurers can save money if their members participate in a mind-body stress reduction program. At least that’s the preliminary conclusion from a recent study conducted by Aetna in which participants received complementary therapies focused on mindfulness meditation and yoga.

The mindfulness meditation-based program taught participants stress reduction techniques, effective management of work load and ways to prioritize tasks to increase efficiency and effectiveness. Participants in the therapeutic yoga-based program learned yoga postures, breathing techniques, guided relaxation and mental skills. The classes also provided coping strategies for dealing with stressful events and promoted use of home and office strategies for reducing stress through yoga. A control group of participants received no stress reduction assistance.
Read more: How mind-body program reduces stress, healthcare costs – FierceHealthPayer http://www.fiercehealthpayer.com/story/how-mind-body-connection-reduces-stress-healthcare-costs/2011-02-17#ixzz1ZqGcTzru
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An article about “greening” the operating room looked to UMMC for advice in the June issue of OR Manager. The article, written by Cynthia Saver of Columbia, Maryland, examined environmentally sustainable practices that can be fairly simple to implement at a health care facility – and can save money, too. It’s all about the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.

Reduce

There are three areas where waste can be reduced in the OR: regulated medical waste (RMW), unused supplies and energy. Up to 90% of what gets thrown out as RMW doesn’t need to be thrown into the red bag: unless contaminated by body fluids, masks, suction tubes and IV bags aren’t biohazardous.  Using energy efficient lighting, heating, and sterilizing can have a big impact, as well.

Reuse

According to Saver, “Reusing surgical gowns, drapes, table covers, and other items significantly reduces waste. UMMC contracts with a reprocessing firm that picks up, cleans, and returns the materials.” Sharps containers can also be reused – UMMC saved $70,000 a year this way.

Recycle

Blue wrap and medical plastics are both recyclable, and UMMC donated unused medical supplies to the medical school.

There’s so much more in this article to spark ideas about how to save money in and reduce the environmental impact of the operating room – click the link to keep reading!

http://practicegreenhealth.org/sites/default/files/upload-files/ormvol27no6orsgoinggreen.pdf

If you are a food service director, chef, dietitian, or purchasing/production manager, the Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (MD H2E) Food Leadership Council is your opportunity to discuss day-to-day strategies for local sustainable meat and other protein food purchases. Learn from others in your field who are working together to achieve positive change in health care meals.

Location: Johns Hopkins University-Homewood Campus

3400 North Charles Street, Room #XXX

Baltimore, MD 21218

Time:       2 – 4 p.m.

RSVP if you plan to attend or want to participate via conference call:
Louise Mitchell, 410-706-1924 or Lmitc001@son.umaryland.edu