complications of Type 2 diabetes<\/a>. That patient may receive excellent medical treatment and counseling about the importance of healthy eating. But if the meals the hospital serves during their stay contradict that advice, what message are we sending?<\/p>\nA hospital meal should reinforce the care plan, not undermine it.<\/p>\n
There are approximately 6,100 hospitals in the United States, collectively accounting for more than 35 million hospital admissions each year. The broader American healthcare foodservice market represents nearly $20 billion in annual economic activity.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s extraordinary purchasing power.<\/p>\n
Hospitals are among the largest customers of major foodservice management companies, food distributors and manufacturers. Their purchasing decisions influence which products suppliers develop, how suppliers price those products and what becomes available to other institutions.<\/p>\n
Imagine what could happen if hospitals across America began sending a consistent message to their suppliers: We want more real food. We want healthier proteins, fruits, vegetables and minimally processed ingredients. We want fewer products with added sugars and unnecessary additives.<\/p>\n
The food industry would have a powerful incentive to respond.<\/p>\n
As demand grows, suppliers can expand production, improve distribution networks and invest in healthier product offerings. Larger purchasing volumes and more predictable demand can also create economies of scale, potentially reducing costs and making nutritious food more affordable.<\/p>\n
Other institutions could also benefit.<\/p>\n
The same foodservice companies supplying hospitals often serve schools, universities, workplaces and other institutions. Improvements in their product offerings and supply chains could help make healthier food more accessible throughout American society.<\/p>\n
Hospitals could improve their patients\u2019 health and help transform the nation\u2019s food system.<\/p>\n
With more than 250 hospitals now participating, we\u2019re beginning to demonstrate what healthcare institutions can accomplish together. We recognize that hospitals face real operational challenges. Hospital supply chains are complex, and patients have diverse medical and nutritional needs.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge is voluntary and collaborative.<\/p>\n
We are not interested in Washington dictating hospital menus or second-guessing the clinical judgment of physicians and registered dietitians. Hospitals must retain the flexibility to meet patients\u2019 individual nutritional requirements, including those who need specialized therapeutic diets or medical nutrition support.<\/p>\n
Our goal is to get hospitals across the country to improve the nutritional quality of their meals together.<\/p>\n
We are grateful for the partnership of the American Hospital Association and the many healthcare systems that have joined this effort. Their leadership demonstrates that change does not always require new mandates, complicated regulations or additional administrative burdens. Sometimes, it begins with a shared commitment.<\/p>\n
Hospitals should be places where every aspect of the patient experience supports health and healing. The food hospitals serve on a patient\u2019s tray should support that goal.<\/p>\n
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\nTwo hundred and fifty hospitals have already committed to serving healthier food. Now, we\u2019re calling on the rest of America\u2019s hospitals to join them.<\/p>\n
Mehmet Oz, M.D., M.B.A., is the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the 26th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! When Americans enter a hospital, they expect to receive care…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":896223,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[97,252,119749,76992,253,16766,269,1767,7525],"class_list":["post-896222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-health-care-healthy-living","tag-health-care-senate","tag-healthcare","tag-maha","tag-nutrition","tag-opinion","tag-reform"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896222\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/896223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}