hospital management, hospitals. F& Operations

A 3 Step Guide To Streamline Hospital Food Service Operations

October 13, 2022

Rapid advancements are taking place in the medical field. There are better treatments, operations, and revolutionary new technologies all around the place.

However, many hospitals are still using conventional ways of food service, and the idea of automation is still very new to many.

Therefore, this area needs a nudge of technology and automation to keep up with the fast-paced development.

Implementing technology in hospital food service operations can help in providing an enhanced experience to patients, visitors, doctors and staff.

How do we implement technology in hospital food service operations?

1) Flow of food service inside the Hospitals:

Firstly, we all know how crowded it becomes during peak hours. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital must ensure complete safety for all. So here’s the step-by-step flowchart to deliver an enhanced experience to your patients and visitors.

a) Contactless QR ordering for Patients and Visitors

Gone are the days when your staff had to move around to check on the patient about their meal requirements. QR Code ordering enables your patients to order their food from their bed/room itself. Doctors can control their nutrition, and they can order from the offered menu. Patients can pay through mobile while ordering, or the bill can be adjusted when they get discharged. Imagine how simpler it will be for your Hospital staff to get the order in their kitchen and deliver. It can significantly reduce the number of steps your staff takes to only go to and fro in the kitchen. It enables the hospital to streamline the food orders and ensure safety.

b) Quick bite Kiosks

We understand that Hospitals have multiple blocks and a handful of cafe options. However, in order to streamline the traffic during rush hours, they can have small Kiosks to grab a quick bite. It can significantly control the sudden rush during peak hours in the hospitals and at the same time increase customer satisfaction as well as increase revenue.

c) Moveable Trolley Counters

Food on the go is a smart move for hospitals to implement so that visitors or patients can quickly grab a bite or coffee wherever they are. This way, visitors or patients will not have to go all the way to the canteen or cafe to buy a cup of coffee or sandwiches. In such a case, a lightweight handheld pos with lightning speed billing can instantly bill. Daily sales get recorded in the POS and at the backend for the IT team to understand the patterns and make an informed decision.

d) Swipe cards for doctors

Maintaining food bills at the hospitals for reimbursement is a daunting task for doctors. As they strive hard to treat their patients, they must enjoy their meals without worrying to maintain their food bills. In such a case, a Prepaid swipe card is helpful for doctors. They can order their meals by using the Prepaid Card provided by the hospital. IT Team can ensure the Top-ups and settlements with our cloud backend solution.

e) Dining and Cafeteria

With the help of an intuitive POS system, you can offer an enhanced ordering experience to your visitors in Cafeteria, canteen or dining. Visitors are already worried about the well-being of their loved ones, and Hospitals can not afford to upset them in long queues and slow food ordering systems.

2) Streamline Inventory and Central Kitchen

Secondly, it is imperative to streamline the backbone of your foodservice operations. For hospital chains to streamline their inventory and movement of their semi-prepared meals, it is imperative to have a robust system in place.

A cloud-based backend solution can efficiently record the movement of raw materials and the inventory from Central Kitchen to the Hospitals. It enables the hospitals to forecast their purchases, reduce wastages in their storage, transfer stock accurately and optimise their central kitchens.

3) Decision Makers and IT team

Lastly, when everything is said and done, the decision-makers need to analyse the expenses and growth of the food service in the hospitals. A robust technology solution that provides real-time data helps the management make an informed decision. It helps them reduce wastage’s and increase profitability in the hospitals.

A cloud-based backend solution provides both the IT team and top management with a detailed analysis of everything. It gives you real-time and detailed reports of Sales, raw materials, inventory, stock movement and a lot more in just a few clicks. Technology is advancing, and so are the needs of the people around us. Therefore, hospitals must implement dynamic and flexible solutions. Check out our case study and successful implementations here.