By Kristin Carroll
When skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) outsource environmental, housekeeping and dining services, compliance and survey readiness is the most important consideration in selecting a vendor partner – while the resident dining experience is the area that is in most need of improvement.
That’s according to recently conducted research from Skilled Nursing News, which surveyed industry leaders on their approach to environmental, dining and housekeeping services in early summer 2025. The initiative gathered insights from 115 respondents who responded to the survey in full, and the survey explored what services were outsourced and how those decisions were made, as well as technology implementation in these areas.
The majority of respondents were with for-profit organizations, with 49% describing their job title as one in corporate or executive leadership.
Survey respondents represented a wide range of facility sizes and types, with 45% employed by organizations with one to five facilities in the company portfolio; 2% reported working for a company with 200 or more facilities.
About 96% of respondents worked for a company providing short-term skilled nursing care, with roughly 93% of respondents working for a provider of long-term care services. Three-fourths of respondents did not work for a company primarily operating continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs).
What’s getting outsourced
The most commonly outsourced services at SNFs are pest control (82%) and waste management/sharps disposal (72%). Another 40% of respondents outsource dietary consulting, but only 19% outsource food service and dining, with 82% keeping food preparation in-house.
Infection control was the least likely service to be outsourced, with 91% of respondents reporting they keep the service in house. Housekeeping and linen services were also kept primarily in-house, at 83% and 79% respectively.
Almost all the providers surveyed outsource at least some of their environmental, housekeeping and dining services, although 4% of respondents said they outsource all services to a third party.
How new vendors are chosen
When it comes to evaluating new third-party vendors or technology solutions for environmental or dining services, 70% of respondents said the vendor’s commitment to compliance and survey readiness is one of the top three considerations.
The resident experience is also an important factor, at 65% respondents ranking this among their top considerations. Yet, only 28% said they consider food quality and menu customization options as top factors in their decision making process.
Reflecting overall infection control concerns within the SNF space, a vendor’s commitment to safety was considered a top-3 factor by 48% of respondents.
That just edged out cost and pricing structure, which was ranked a top-3 consideration by 46% of respondents.
Decision-makers are least likely to consider the vendor’s stance on sustainability or green certifications, with less than 1% of respondents saying they look at this as a top category.
Priority areas for improvement and tech solutions
In terms of what aspects of environmental, housekeeping and dining operations have the greatest room for improvement, one area emerged as clearly in need of attention: the resident dining experience.
Nearly 72% of respondents identified the dining experience among their top three priorities for improvement. Meanwhile, 50% want to improve staff experience and retention rates. The third top priority for SNFs was in supply chain optimization and budgeting, with 41% of respondents saying they consider this a major area for improvement.
Given the attention that SNF operators place on vendors’ compliance and survey readiness, it perhaps stands to reason that only about a third of respondents identified survey performance as a top area of improvement.
While SNF leaders are looking to improve many areas of their operations, just over half of survey respondents aren’t currently using or exploring tools and technology that could potentially help. Around 19% of respondents said they aren’t sure what tools their facility is using, while 50% of respondents said their organization is not using any of the technologies identified in the survey.
Those that are using tools are prioritizing the dining experience, with 22% reporting they use digital meal ordering or resident-facing menus. Just under 20% are using food temperature tracking technology to improve and ensure food safety within their facilities.
Perhaps surprisingly, less than 10% of respondents reported using smart sensors or environmental monitoring, which can track falls, temperature and other patient safety factors.
This story is based on research conducted by Skilled Nursing News in May and June 2025. To request a copy of the research, please reach out to Tim Mullaney at [email protected].
