Malnutrition is a prevalent and debilitating condition in acute hospital settings, affecting approximately 40% of patients. It is associated with adverse outcomes such as depressed immune function, impaired wound healing, muscle wasting, longer hospital stays, higher treatment costs, and increased mortality. Despite the availability of validated screening tools, referral rates for dietetic assessment and treatment are suboptimal. Nutrition risk screening using validated tools can rapidly identify patients at risk of malnutrition and facilitate prompt dietetic referrals. In Australia, mandatory nutrition screening upon hospital admission is not currently required, which is concerning given the under-reporting and poor documentation of malnutrition. Unidentified malnutrition not only increases the risk of complications for patients but also potentially results in lost reimbursements to hospitals through casemix-based funding schemes. The authors recommend the widespread adoption of mandatory nutrition screening in line with best-practice guidelines to effectively target and reduce the incidence of hospital malnutrition.Malnutrition is a prevalent and debilitating condition in acute hospital settings, affecting approximately 40% of patients. It is associated with adverse outcomes such as depressed immune function, impaired wound healing, muscle wasting, longer hospital stays, higher treatment costs, and increased mortality. Despite the availability of validated screening tools, referral rates for dietetic assessment and treatment are suboptimal. Nutrition risk screening using validated tools can rapidly identify patients at risk of malnutrition and facilitate prompt dietetic referrals. In Australia, mandatory nutrition screening upon hospital admission is not currently required, which is concerning given the under-reporting and poor documentation of malnutrition. Unidentified malnutrition not only increases the risk of complications for patients but also potentially results in lost reimbursements to hospitals through casemix-based funding schemes. The authors recommend the widespread adoption of mandatory nutrition screening in line with best-practice guidelines to effectively target and reduce the incidence of hospital malnutrition.