Guest guest Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 The guest trays (hot food) are $3 charged to the department budget of what ever unit orders the guest tray. This was mostly an issue on the pediatric floors and did start to get out of hand (and wasn't ordered properly most of the time anyway). About a year ago we changed to sending up cold sandwiches at lunch & dinner to the pediatric units for the nurses to pass out to the families. At lunch time some days the Mc House brings sack lunches. Fountain drinks, coffee, milk & juices are available for families at any time in the family lounge. A box of donuts goes up at breakfast every day. Standard trays are sent to both the adult & peds ER with cold sandwiches, lemonade, fruit based on the census about an hour before trayline starts. Breakfast is cold cereal, milk, coffee cake, juice. This cut down on diet orders coming in at all times of the day from both ERs although we still get them (with specific food requests from the Peds ER that have nothing to do with what the child wants, it's what the desk clerk THINKS the child wants - can't tell you how many times they order pizza for a kid with a documented dairy or wheat allergy). Holly Lee Brewer, MS RD CDE Pediatric Dietitian, Las Vegas, NV Cece wrote: Hi All and Happy Friday! I have a question for all of you in acute care. What is your policy regarding guest trays for the friends and family of patients? I work in a 56 bed acute care hospital, ICU, Maternity, Med/Surg., ER. Our guest trays used to be free to anyone who wanted them and it got totally out of hand. We were feeding entire families!! We changed our policy to read that any family member who wanted a tray could purchase one for $2.50. Each patient was only allowed one guest tray per meal (so we don't feed entire families). Any 24 hour care giver of a patient, law enforcement guard, or persons that the $2.50 would impose a hardship could get a free tray. Really, we thought this was only fair. We are meeting a lot of resistance. I would like to hear from others who provide guest trays or if you don't provide guest trays...what is your policy? Free or do you charge a fee, if so what? Thanks! Cece --------------------------------- Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 We charge $5 a tray for any guest tray. If a family has hardship for meals the patient rep. can authorize a emergency meal ticket to the cafeteria, however this is limited in amount. At our rehab the nurses buy meal trays for family that stay with the patient and provide care while they are here. We have done the freebie thing ion past and it gets abused. We have even had people come in from the ER and go to the antepartum area and help themselves to food in the refrigerator that is stocked for patients to help themselves. The only free meals given out go to the MD's (go figure) guest trays Hi All and Happy Friday! I have a question for all of you in acute care. What is your policy regarding guest trays for the friends and family of patients? I work in a 56 bed acute care hospital, ICU, Maternity, Med/Surg., ER. Our guest trays used to be free to anyone who wanted them and it got totally out of hand. We were feeding entire families!! We changed our policy to read that any family member who wanted a tray could purchase one for $2.50. Each patient was only allowed one guest tray per meal (so we don't feed entire families). Any 24 hour care giver of a patient, law enforcement guard, or persons that the $2.50 would impose a hardship could get a free tray. Really, we thought this was only fair. We are meeting a lot of resistance. I would like to hear from others who provide guest trays or if you don't provide guest trays...what is your policy? Free or do you charge a fee, if so what? Thanks! Cece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Last facility I worked for- $7.50 per tray- was a Room Service menu- I've heard as much as $10 for ordering from Room Service menu. At that facility, if the guest tray was for someone assisting with the patient's care (i.e. wife spending the night to keep pt calm and assisting with pt's care all the time), the tray was provided complimentary- but the cost was split(eaten) between nursing and dietary cost centers, which seemed like a good compromise. We didn't give away free trays without a consensus among dietary, nsg and social work that it was warranted. At my current facility, we charge $5.00 per tray; still too low I think for a full, hot meal that is delivered. At a 100 bed sister hospital that just does cardiac care, they provide 1 free guest tray per room/per day. One way to give away freebies but have a limit on it. > > We charge $5 a tray for any guest tray. If a family has hardship for meals the patient rep. can authorize a emergency meal ticket to the cafeteria, however this is limited in amount. > At our rehab the nurses buy meal trays for family that stay with the patient and provide care while they are here. We have done the freebie thing ion past and it gets abused. We have even had people come in from the ER and go to the antepartum area and help themselves to food in the refrigerator that is stocked for patients to help themselves. The only free meals given out go to the MD's (go figure) > > guest trays > > > Hi All and Happy Friday! > > I have a question for all of you in acute care. What is your policy > regarding guest trays for the friends and family of patients? I work > in a 56 bed acute care hospital, ICU, Maternity, Med/Surg., ER. Our > guest trays used to be free to anyone who wanted them and it got > totally out of hand. We were feeding entire families!! We changed our > policy to read that any family member who wanted a tray could purchase > one for $2.50. Each patient was only allowed one guest tray per meal > (so we don't feed entire families). Any 24 hour care giver of a > patient, law enforcement guard, or persons that the $2.50 would impose > a hardship could get a free tray. Really, we thought this was only > fair. We are meeting a lot of resistance. I would like to hear from > others who provide guest trays or if you don't provide guest > trays...what is your policy? Free or do you charge a fee, if so what? > Thanks! > > Cece > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Our guest trays are $15 a person !!! guest trays > > > Hi All and Happy Friday! > > I have a question for all of you in acute care. What is your policy > regarding guest trays for the friends and family of patients? I work > in a 56 bed acute care hospital, ICU, Maternity, Med/Surg., ER. Our > guest trays used to be free to anyone who wanted them and it got > totally out of hand. We were feeding entire families!! We changed our > policy to read that any family member who wanted a tray could purchase > one for $2.50. Each patient was only allowed one guest tray per meal > (so we don't feed entire families). Any 24 hour care giver of a > patient, law enforcement guard, or persons that the $2.50 would impose > a hardship could get a free tray. Really, we thought this was only > fair. We are meeting a lot of resistance. I would like to hear from > others who provide guest trays or if you don't provide guest > trays...what is your policy? Free or do you charge a fee, if so what? > Thanks! > > Cece > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Even if you give them away, you have to count the " lost " revenue to show administration- as well as the labor your spending to make those trays. Also count meal equivalents to go towards your stats/meals produced, etc. > > > > We charge $5 a tray for any guest tray. If a family has hardship > for meals the patient rep. can authorize a emergency meal ticket to > the cafeteria, however this is limited in amount. > > At our rehab the nurses buy meal trays for family that stay with > the patient and provide care while they are here. We have done the > freebie thing ion past and it gets abused. We have even had people > come in from the ER and go to the antepartum area and help > themselves to food in the refrigerator that is stocked for patients > to help themselves. The only free meals given out go to the MD's > (go figure) > > > > guest trays > > > > > > Hi All and Happy Friday! > > > > I have a question for all of you in acute care. What is your > policy > > regarding guest trays for the friends and family of patients? I > work > > in a 56 bed acute care hospital, ICU, Maternity, Med/Surg., ER. > Our > > guest trays used to be free to anyone who wanted them and it got > > totally out of hand. We were feeding entire families!! We > changed our > > policy to read that any family member who wanted a tray could > purchase > > one for $2.50. Each patient was only allowed one guest tray per > meal > > (so we don't feed entire families). Any 24 hour care giver of a > > patient, law enforcement guard, or persons that the $2.50 would > impose > > a hardship could get a free tray. Really, we thought this was > only > > fair. We are meeting a lot of resistance. I would like to hear > from > > others who provide guest trays or if you don't provide guest > > trays...what is your policy? Free or do you charge a fee, if so > what? > > Thanks! > > > > Cece > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 12, 2007 Report Share Posted October 12, 2007 Cece We are a similar sized facility. We have always routinely provided a guest tray (one) , no charge, for a parent of a child 6 yo under (breastfeeding mom or separation anxiety of a parent leaving the room when the child has not yet been accustomed to being w/o a parent if they have not started school yet). We also, at the request of a social worker or house supervisor, have provided free meals to say a caregiver of a handicapped patient or an elderly spouse who has been brought to the floor to visit and left w/o any means to get a tray (maybe no cash or limited mobility). Other family members or guests can obtain a meal for $5 or $6 if they pay the cashier ahead of time or they are usually encouraged to come down to the cafeteria and buy what they want and are allowed to take it back up. Free meals have also been provided to " Boarders " - new moms who have to leave baby behind - they receive a coupon worth $5 and come to the cafeteria to get their meal. During an interim administration, the acting CEO expanded this to include additional family members/circumstances at the discretion of the nurse. Surprisingly, this has not gotten out of hand, maybe because we had done it the above way for so long - if the nurse does call down, it is a justified request routinely. Polson L. Polson R.D. Clinical Nutrition Supervisor County Memorial Hospital PO Box 3011, 501 South Burma Avenue Gillette, WY 82717 guest trays Hi All and Happy Friday! I have a question for all of you in acute care. What is your policy regarding guest trays for the friends and family of patients? I work in a 56 bed acute care hospital, ICU, Maternity, Med/Surg., ER. Our guest trays used to be free to anyone who wanted them and it got totally out of hand. We were feeding entire families!! We changed our policy to read that any family member who wanted a tray could purchase one for $2.50. Each patient was only allowed one guest tray per meal (so we don't feed entire families). Any 24 hour care giver of a patient, law enforcement guard, or persons that the $2.50 would impose a hardship could get a free tray. Really, we thought this was only fair. We are meeting a lot of resistance. I would like to hear from others who provide guest trays or if you don't provide guest trays...what is your policy? Free or do you charge a fee, if so what? Thanks! Cece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2007 Report Share Posted October 14, 2007 We have guest trays where family can purchase for $5.00, and the tray goes up withthe patient tray. We also give peds parents a meal ticket for a limit of 3.50 through the cafeteria line (we don't send up a tray, they pick up their food and take it back up to the room) We also have tickets that we give out randomly if a person has a patient that has been in ICU for an extended period of time, we give them a few lunch tickets ( I believe a $4.00 limit). Now this one has been abused in that we have had slug family members down at our door ( after the patient left ICU) wanting the tickets (of which we have stated that they have met their limit). The other day we had a family member come down wanting a ticket, yet she had come in about 9A then left the hospital and came back about 11A in time to eat. Needless to say, someone has to monitor. Cece wrote: Hi All and Happy Friday! I have a question for all of you in acute care. What is your policy regarding guest trays for the friends and family of patients? I work in a 56 bed acute care hospital, ICU, Maternity, Med/Surg., ER. Our guest trays used to be free to anyone who wanted them and it got totally out of hand. We were feeding entire families!! We changed our policy to read that any family member who wanted a tray could purchase one for $2.50. Each patient was only allowed one guest tray per meal (so we don't feed entire families). Any 24 hour care giver of a patient, law enforcement guard, or persons that the $2.50 would impose a hardship could get a free tray. Really, we thought this was only fair. We are meeting a lot of resistance. I would like to hear from others who provide guest trays or if you don't provide guest trays...what is your policy? Free or do you charge a fee, if so what? Thanks! Cece --------------------------------- Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 THANK YOU to all who gave me excellent feedback regarding their guest tray policies!!!!! It's nice to have this invaluable resource available! Cece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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