VA Health Care: Food Service Operations and Costs at Inpatient Facilities: HEHS-00-17.

HOSPITAL food service; PATIENTS; HEALTH facilities; MEDICAL care; GOVERNMENT agencies; UNITED States. Dept. of Veterans Affairs

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) spent about $429 million to provide food services at 172 of its 175 inpatient health care locations in fiscal year 1998. Although some of this money went for nutrition needs assessments, counseling, and other patient-related activities, most--$337 million--was spent on preparing and distributing meals. Production and delivery costs averaged $24.50 per patient; daily costs at individual locations ranged from $8 to $51. The differences reflect the different requirements of, for example, hospitals and nursing homes. In the same year, 27 VA locations raised $739,000 by using excess food capacity to provide food services for 44 non-VA organizations, including nonprofit groups and federal, state, and local government agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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