Tony,
I can address your question from an individual grant perspective.  Here
at Bowman Gray I run the General Clinical Research Center, a research
hospital/clinic, part of a national program funded by NIH through its
National Center for Research Resources.  On our grant the patient care
category includes the following:

Inpatient room charges
Rental of outpatient space, including all housekeeping and maintenance costs
Ancillary tests (laboratory, radiology, etc.)
Supplies used directly with patients (iv bags and lines, syringes, needles,
etc.)
Food provided to patients as part of special research diets

Expenses such as nursing and dietary salaries and benefits, equipment, and
non-patient (i.e. research lab) supplies are charged to other funding
categories.

Marcia Huston-Lyons
Assistant Director
General Clinical Research Center
Bowman Gray School of Medicine
Wake Forest University

xxxxxx@phs.bgsm.wfu.edu