Key Talking Points for Hospital Leadership and Clinicians 

Below are key talking points to consider when meeting with hospital leadership, clinicians, and other key stakeholders in your hospital to achieve buy-in and support for resources to implement a malnutrition quality improvement project. Also see the MQii Toolkit for additional information. 

• Malnutrition is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, especially among older adults 

• Patients who are malnourished while in the hospital have a greater risk of complications, readmissions, hospital-acquired conditions (e.g., pressure ulcers, infections), increased risk of falls, and increased length of stay, which is associated with up to a 300% increase in costs 

• Hospitals incur more than $49 billion in expenses per year related to malnutrition  

• Malnutrition can further increase the risk of poor outcomes among older adults, as age is a major risk factor for malnutrition 

• Despite evidence highlighting the benefits of nutrition and effective malnutrition care, many hospitals experience gaps in malnutrition care  

• MQii is designed to address these gaps in care with the goal of reducing variability in clinical processes and supporting the use of best practices 

• In addition to addressing direct outcomes associated with poor nutrition, the MQii has the potential to impact several additional high-cost outcomes, such as readmission rate, length of stay, and complication rates