Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Preselected Menus
Because patients’ stays are getting shorter, the need for a multiweek selective menu cycle has
become less important. Food service departments can now offer patients’ favorites and prepare
them better.
For a variety of reasons, more hospitals are using a preselected menu system. One of the
major reasons for the change is financial. A preselected menu is given to a patient on admission
to the hospital or is in the patient’s room. One entree is offered daily for a predetermined menu
cycle period with a number of standard, well-accepted food items. A food service representative
visits a patient after admission to elicit food dislikes and allergies and record the information in
a computer. Using the computer, an individualized menu can be printed for each patient from
the master menu preplanned by the menu committee. Lunch is ordered at breakfast time.
The use of the preselected menu has the following advantages:
• Eliminates menu printing, distribution, and collection
• Reduces food cost by 10 to 20 percent over a selective menu—because of fewer leftovers
• Reduces staff needed for production and tray line service (labor cost)
• Places focus on quality by doing a few things well
• Screens for patients’ special needs
• Ensures that a patient receives a balanced diet
Bedside Menus
The bedside menu-entry system is one where patients input requests into a handheld computer
that the food service representative uses to input data or by use of the bedside phone. The computer
contains the same-day menu for lunch and dinner, chef specials, and other items. The
bedside menu eliminates the need for paper menus, which means savings to the department.
However, each computer may cost as much as $1,000 and will contain more than 100 orders.
This type of system is connected to the patient information system and is updated, allowing the
department to know of any diet order changes within several hours. When using the bedside
phone, the patients press a predetermined code on their phone to access menu ordering. A customized
voice confirms name, room number, and diet order. After confirmation, the system
provides meal options to the caller. The patient uses the digits on the keyboard to select menu
items. This information is then forwarded to the food service department, where a meal ticket
is printed. The menu data are given to the staff for production and service. The cost of the system
for software and hardware programming and special application is expensive.
Foreign Language Menus
As part of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations standards,
health care providers have the responsibility to meet the needs of patients with cultural or religious
differences and those with physical or mental disabilities. The food service department
needs to have information available on a variety of food restrictions due to cultural or religious
beliefs. There should also be information on where to serve kosher foods and a list of persons
who are multilingual and who could provide assistance to patients and staff. In areas where a
large percentage of the population are non-English speaking or reading, menus should be provided
in the prevalent non-English language. Personnel should be available to assist patients
who are blind, deaf, handicapped, or illiterate.
Nonpatient Menus
In addition to patients, or the primary target market, most health care food service operations
provide services to employees, staff, and visitors. As described earlier, the wants and needs of
these groups, as identified by the marketing information system, should be considered during
menu planning.
Menu Planning
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