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Bedside Meal Ordering Made Simpler
Meal orders in a hospital facility can be frustrating for patients. By offering them the opportunity to order meals directly from their room, you help them follow advised dietary guidelines and support health education. At the same time, you’re offering them a range of options and choices to make the process patient friendly. Your teams save time, since the foodservice vendor handles fulfillment directly. As a result, that Care Team members spend their time on clinical tasks and patient relationships. All of these benefits help raise your HCAPS scores.
When patients place a meal order with their bedside Tablet TV or their Pillow Speaker and wall TV, MediaCare connects with the systems used by the hospital’s dietary services department. Customize the app to include menus, pictures of selections, and payment options with order confirmation. For clinical review, that’s all tied directly to the patient’s EHR, which makes sure their food choices are appropriate.
MediaCare ensures your patient meal ordering implementation supports key functions for a smooth experience:
- Identity authentication uses HIPAA guidelines to ensure the correct diet is displayed and patient information is protected.
- You can choose to show menu options that reflect the patient’s dietary restrictions.
- Educational messages and nutritional summaries keep patients informed and complement their nutritional counseling.
- For convenience and scheduling, patients can order meals in advance.
- Depending upon the facility process, visitors can order and pay for their meals directly through the app.
- Set restrictions to limit the number of menu items ordered.
- Patients may rate their meal quality.
- Diet Sliders on the Patient Whiteboard allow Nurses to show food intake per meal.
Lower costs and increase ancillary revenue
Using a bedside dining feature, you’re helping patients have a sense of control over their stay, which helps satisfaction ratings. You’re also providing access to additional retail opportunities like gift shopping, and durable equipment rental for home use. You help to improve nutrition follow-through, and support patients to have a better understanding of how their meal choices affect their condition.
For the hospital system, additional benefits include creating a new source of revenue and lowering operating costs, with better control over procurement and food waste.