Room service offers variety, fast service at hospital

May 14—A new room service food service program at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center is setting out to change the old hospital food stereotype.

The new technology is using room service-like menus and barcode scanners to ensure fast delivery and patient choice. It starts in the patients' rooms, where they can order a number of food choices based on their dietary needs by simply dialing FOOD from their room phone; from there the order is taken by a call center, where employees check to make sure patients aren't violating diet restrictions and put their order into the system. An order ticket is printed in the kitchen with a barcode on it and once the tray is assembled it is scanned and placed on a cart.