Patients in the Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, N. Y.,  can chose and order meals from a customized menu and eat when it suits them with the facility's new dial-up room service system, according to an article on the Poughkeepsie Journal website.

According to the Institute of Food Technologists, a non-profit group with more than 17,000 members worldwide, hospitals are doing more to offer healthier food options, resulting in improved patient and employee satisfaction.

Before the new system, a cook/chill food service model was in place at Vassar, where a limited menu of meals was cooked in batches, chilled for keeping and reheated before being served.

Now dishes are prepared with fresh ingredients and delivered to patients by a professionally attired server. Menus options vary, with selections tailored to each patient's dietary needs, per input from a dietitian.

Read the article.