The impact of California's drought has been low for most hospitals, where strategies have been implemented to minimize the damage, according to an article on the Healthcare Finance News.

At University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, the rising cost of food has challenged the budget, said Dan Henroid, director of nutrition and food services.

Since 80 percent of its food volume is not for patients, UCSF is able to make quick adjustments. Instead of printed menus, the medical center has a digital menu board that can be changed rapidly. 

When romaine went up, food services staff put only mixed greens and spinach in salads, or used a much smaller portion of romaine. They also put things like “seasonal fruit” on the menu (without naming anything specifically) and use the least expensive ones available at the time. 

Making small changes like UCSF has can cut a 10 percent increase in half, said Tom Wessling, vice president of nutrition and environmental services at Amerinet Inc. 

Hospitals can do things like switch from a 5-ounce chicken breast to a 4-ounce one without people noticing much, the article said. They can garnish salads with two tomato wedges instead of four. 

The biggest opportunity for dramatically reducing costs, Wessling said, is for buyers to use market forecasts that allow hospital food buyers to know what is going up and down so they can substitute when needed.

Read the article.