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Medical care utilization and the transcendental meditation program.

D Orme-Johnson

Psychosomatic Medicine 1987 DOI: 10.1097/00006842-198709000-00006 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational field study comparing insurance utilization statistics with a normative database Peer reviewed
Sample size 2,000
Population Approximately 2,000 regular participants in the Transcendental Meditation program, compared with a normative database of approximately 600,000 members of the same insurance carrier
Intervention Transcendental Meditation (TM) program
Duration 5 years of medical insurance utilization statistics
Topics Meditation
Key findings The TM group had lower medical utilization than the norm in all categories: 50.2% fewer inpatient days for children, 50.1% for young adults, and 69.4% for older adults, with outpatient visits 46.8%, 54.7%, and 73.7% fewer respectively. Admissions were lower across all 17 major treatment categories, including 87.3% fewer for heart disease and 30.6% fewer for mental disorders, while childbirth admissions were similar to the norm.

Abstract

This field study compared 5 years of medical insurance utilization statistics of approximately 2000 regular participants in the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program with a normative data base of approximately 600,000 members of the same insurance carrier. The benefits, deductible, coinsurance terms, and distribution by gender of the TM group were very similar to the norm, yet the TM group had lower medical utilization rates in all categories. Inpatient days per 1000 by age category were 50.2% fewer than the norm for children (0-18), 50.1% fewer for young adults (19-39), and 69.4% fewer for older adults (40+). Outpatient visits per 1000 for the same age categories were, respectively, 46.8%, 54.7%, and 73.7% fewer. When compared with five other health insurance groups of similar size and professional membership, the TM group had 53.3% fewer inpatient admissions per 1000 and 44.4% fewer outpatient visits per 1000. Admissions per 1000 were lower for the TM group than the norm for all of 17 major medical treatment categories, including -55.4% for benign and malignant tumors -87.3% for heart disease, -30.4% for all infectious diseases, -30.6% for all mental disorders, and -87.3% for diseases of the nervous system. However, the TM group's admission rates for childbirth were similar to the norm. The issue of self-selection is addressed in terms of previous medical research in this area.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students 2006 Observational cohort
Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia 1992 Observational cohort n = 22
Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls 2005 Observational cohort n = 20
Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls 2011 Observational cohort
Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls 2004 Observational cohort

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