One of the key points facing healthcare foodservice operators is the pressure to enhance patient satisfaction scores as it affects the amount of Medicare reimbursement to hospitals. As food quality is critical to patients’ attitudes about a hospital stay, room service delivery has increased in scrutiny. Facilities are placing greater emphasis on heat retention in particular as many patient complaints call out unsuitable meal temperatures.

Because deliveries can take up to up to 40 minutes at times, keeping the temperature constant can be challenging because there are numerous opportunities for heat to escape between preparation, plating, delivery and actual service. Here are some simple tips on how to maintain temperatures, increase food safety and reduce the number of meal returns.

Vanguard West Suburban Medical Center (Oak Park, IL) uses Cambro’s two-compartment Meal Delivery Cart that holds 20 trays. To maximize temperature retention, each plate is covered with an insulated dome.

“When you cover the plate with Cambro Shoreline Insulated Dome and put the tray in the cart, by the time it gets upstairs, the food is still as hot as it just came off the steam table,” says Shonita Torry, Manager of Food and Nutrition Services at the facility.

With proper preparation and using the right solutions, meals can stay hot and at safe temperatures for over 60 minutes. The key is in selecting products that integrate well together every step of the way, to keep the integrity of the food intact, from start to finish.

Visit www.cambro.com/healthcare or contact your local representative for more information about healthcare foodservice solutions.

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