A hospital has gone the way of the hotel when it comes to dining options.
Feeding a hospital full of patients is no easy task. Just ask the kitchen staff at Geisinger Medical Center near Danville. The hospital used to operate under a traditional tray line method, where the food was prepared all at once.
"Every patient in the hospital we would attempt to feed at, say, 12 for lunch and 5 for dinner. In essence, trying to feed the entire hospital at one time," said Bruce Thomas, the VP of Guest Services at Geisinger.
Food is now cooked to order. Anything a patient wants from a menu at any time is delivered within the hour. Requests from a patient's room are first screened by call center representatives.
"They know what their diet is, have it in front of them, so they can see that specific to a patient, they can't order something the doctor isn't allowing them to have," said Thomas.
There are several different menus, for varying dietary needs. There's even a special kids menu.
Baby Sean doesn't have to worry about picking out lunch just yet, but his mom Nellie McCabe does. We found Nellie holding her tiny day-old son. She'll have to stay a few days after her c-section delivery, but says the new menu options will make her feel a little more comfortable.
Currently the kitchen operates from 6:30am until 7pm. The staff is working in a new kitchen that's much bigger than the old one. Geisinger had to hire 11 new people to make it all happen.
Officials estimate that 35-40% of hospitals nationwide have moved to this model.