ASPIRE CQI works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s Collaborative Quality Initiatives program is combining its patient focus with efforts to help the environment.

The Anesthesiology Performance Improvement and Reporting Exchange CQI, or ASPIRE, which aims to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients receiving anesthesia, is playing a key role in population health by launching a quality improvement initiative to encourage environmental sustainability.

“We often forget that providing health care can generate great amounts of waste and pollution, leading not only to development of new illness in some, but worsening of current chronic disease states in others,” said Dr. Faris Ahmad, medical director, Value Partnerships. “ASPIRE is leading the charge to make sure that as clinicians, we reduce our carbon footprint as much as we can.”

Environmental stewardship

Health care generates nearly 10% of our national greenhouse gas emissions. Anesthesia providers generate such emissions from anesthetic gases vented into the atmosphere as the patient breathes out, which can persist for up to 114 years.

Changes that can reduce the environmental impact include:

• Reducing the air and oxygen delivered with anesthetic gases
• Capturing anesthetics so they aren’t wasted
• Reducing the amount of polluting agents

One of the easiest steps to take, Ahmad said, is to reduce fresh gas flows, which also results in significant cost savings. Over the past year, the CQI has made significant improvements in these areas.

“Environmental stewardship is everyone’s responsibility,” Ahmad said. “ASPIRE recognizes this responsibility and hopes that adhering to this quality improvement measure will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, help improve the air we breathe, and reduce costs, all without any harm to patients.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.