In Florida, with our demographically-driven need for great healthcare options, knowing and understanding these trends can be the difference between a successful operation and one struggling to make the grade, almost quite literally.
What do we mean by this? It's simple, and it can be boiled down to a single statement: The success of a hospital or healthcare establishment largely depends on the ratings the facility receives from patients, and of the components of those ratings, foodservice is one of the top -- if not the top -- factors.
So let's take a look at the statistics.
Every few years, Foodservice Director releases an important report detailing the state of healthcare foodservice, and though their most recent edition was the 2016 Healthcare Census Report, the statistics they included are only continuing to grow and are more important than ever in 2019.
The report was created from a survey of 184 different hospitals across the country, and they resulted in the following.
1) Most hospitals were self operated. In fact, of the 184 different facilities included in the survey, more than 3/4 of them were self operated.
2) More patient meals are being served. In hospitals and healthcare facilities polled, 85 percent of them reported serving more patient meals than in the past. This is certainly true in Florida.
3) It's not just patient meals that are on the rise, as 69 percent report an increase in retail meals, as well.
4) Meal times are important, too, with 60 percent of all hospitals expecting to see a growth in lunch business and most expecting breakfast sales to be an even better predictor or growth.
5) What we serve is as important as when it's served. The fact is menus are changing. More than one in ten hospitals use locally-sourced ingredients, and more than two in ten large budget facilities over local sourcing.
6) Yes, where food is served might be the most important. Patient rooms and cafeterias are the standard bearers, but of all the hospitals surveyed, 81 percent offer catering services, 62 percent have cooking demos or nutrition-education programs, 33 percent have kiosk service, nine percent have full-service restaurants, and four percent offer food trucks. How's that for diversity.
7) Finally, consider the budgets. Of the 184 facilities, 13 percent have annual food and beverage budgets of five million dollars or more.
We are constantly learning and updating ourselves on the latest trends in the fast-changing landscape of healthcare. From political debate and legislation to rising costs and new technologies, there are many factors that impact how healthcare foodservice can be delivered and impact the facility as a whole. We're here to help make that a positive one.