Last spring Lori Chalupa
went to her supervisor with an idea—an idea
that ultimately will save the University about $7,500
a year and earn Chalupa
a $100 bonus.
Chalupa, a clerk in Clinical Outcomes and Resource
Management at the University of Iowa Hospitals and
Clinics, approached Pat Arkema about exploring the
possibility of using a bulk-mail rate, rather than
first-class rate, to mail the hospital’s patient-satisfaction
forms. The department sends about 25,000 forms per
year at a cost of 55 cents a piece.
“I thought it was a wonderful idea and told
her to investigate,” Arkema says. “All
it took was one minor change in programming—we
now organize the mailing by zip code rather than
survey number—and it has significantly reduced
our postage costs. It would be a good idea for any
department that does mass mailing.”
The bulk rate drops the mailing cost to 25 cents
a piece—a savings of at least $7,500 a year.
For her effort, Chalupa pocketed $100 from the UI
SMART (Save Money and Reward Thriftiness) Suggestion
Program, which recognizes original, money-saving
tactics from faculty and staff that are implemented
on campus.
Although the SMART program is not new, recent budget
cuts ordered by Gov. Tom Vilsack and the University’s
planned reductions make these kinds of suggestions
more important than ever, says program coordinator
Pat Kenner. She encourages faculty and staff to share
ideas on how to save money.
For more information or to submit suggestions, go
to www.uiowa.edu/hr/worklife/SMART.
For additional information, contact Kenner at Continuous
Quality Improvement–Organizational Effectiveness,
121–50 USB, pat-kenner@uiowa.edu, or (33)5-0505.
by Sara Epstein Moninger
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