"From a conceptual level, it's a very simple thing: let's have a mechanism to the lifting rather than the nurse. But incorporating it into the building at a holistic level and getting it in every single room is a big shift. Look at it once from a staffing perspective, and it quickly turns into an economic benefit: you're paying out less in insurance claims and less for sick time."

The study didn't include the potential legal costs of dealing with staff injuries. "That would be a whole other pot of money that could be used for something better."

Green is good
Originally designed by Boston architect John Bulfinch in the early 1800s, Massachusetts General Hospital is the third largest in the U.S., with its central campus situated in the city's crowded West End. MGH's newest clinical facility, the 530,000-square-foot Building for the Third Century, is being designed to meet LEED Gold standards. The $579 million project began in 2008 and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2011.

"Economics are always foremost in our minds when we do these projects," says Brad Seamans, RA, MGH's project manager for planning and construction. "Our approach was about the environment and what makes sense. What kind of air are the patients and staff going to breathe? What kind of rooms are they going to be in? I think doing these things hasn't necessarily added a great deal of cost of the project. In cases where it has, we believe that the benefits are great enough that it's worthwhile."

The new complex will add about 20,000 square feet of green space, a substantial portion of which will be on the roof. "We're also really concerned about materials and their effect on the environment. What if we use this type of flooring instead of this one? What's the difference in the cost? What's the difference in the lifecycle of the material?"

After rattling off several additional questions about flooring composition, Seamans takes a breath and points out that hospital systems can directly influence the vendor side of the green building equation.

"Armstrong flooring, for instance, is making different products made of different materials, because projects like ours are using PVC-free vinyl. Most of their product line now is much greener than it used to be even a year ago."

When it comes to green building and sustainable practices, organizations with purchasing clout at the level of Partners HealthCare, the non-profit system that owns MGH and several other Massachusetts hospitals, have been motivating vendors to create products to meet their needs.

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