These programs were implemented in order to give more power to the patients in choosing what they want to eat. Also, research indicated that patients were getting meals when they were not hungry, or they were getting the wrong meal because of a recent diet change. At Swedish Medical, these occurrences resulted in approximately 40 percent of the trays being wasted. Swedish Medical's room service menu consists of a 14- page menu from which patients order their selections. These choices are then entered into the computer in the foodservice department, modified according to diet specifications, and delivered to the patients within 30 minutes.
Patients can eat whatever they want, when they want it.
Meals are delivered to each room by nicely dressed foodservice employees. The whole experience feels more like a hotel than a hospital. Since food is cooked as needed and only the necessary amounts are prepared, Swedish Medical has experienced a food cost reduction. The program at Albany Memorial Hospital works exactly the same way, except patients are choosing from an extensive 126 item menu. Room service is not the only way forward-thinking hospitals are using induction technology to improve efficiency in healthcare food service.