Catering Benchmark of Swiss Hospitals

Switzerland’s healthcare system is, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ranking, one of the most expensive in the world. These high costs are related to an excellent healthcare system which is perceived as patient-friendly and easily accessible. In order to gain more transparency, as well as to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, Switzerland introduced the DRG based remuneration DRG (Diagnosis Related Group) system in 2012. This remuneration system for hospital financing with lump sum compensation payments is called Swiss DRG, because the country-specific factors were taken into account. According to the European understanding, Facility Management (FM) also contains soft factors, i.e. services, and account for one third of the total hospital costs. Of these, catering costs rank second. In addition, catering is an important image factor for the hospital. To enhance transparency in order to be more efficient and effective within the catering service, a benchmarking platform for Swiss hospitals has been developed. This paper provides findings from 23 benchmarking key figures based on 39 hospitals. The methodology is based on a multi-method quantitative study design based on the pragmatism paradigm conducted via survey research with the FM departments in these hospitals. Data collection was done with a benchmarking platform mainly based on a quantitative questionnaire followed by unstructured interviews. The results show for the first time a comprehensive view of the current situation of Swiss hospital catering and trends spanning multiple hospitals are identified