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Commission to Build a Healthier America Public Meeting
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Relax: Stress Reduction Program Curtails Use of Health Care Services, Increases Compliance and Satisfaction
Planning for a study of the effects of a stress reduction program on health care utilization, costs, and patient and provider satisfaction
In 1998, staff at the Stress Reduction Clinic (SRC) at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (UMMC), worked to develop a formal grant proposal for a multiyear controlled, randomized, prospective study of the economic and clinical impacts of a meditation and relaxation program called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).
Key Results:
- Investigators completed a literature review and entered and analyzed four years of patient data, which indicated the relative success of the stress reduction intervention with different diagnoses.
- The research team encountered delays, however, in analyzing data needed to design the study and in establishing working relationships with third-party payors.