New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 8 - SOCIAL SERVICES
Chapter 370 - OVERSIGHT OF LICENSED HEALTHCARE FACILITIES AND COMMUNITY BASED WAIVER PROGRAMS
Part 12 - REQUIREMENTS FOR ACUTE CARE, LIMITED SERVICES AND SPECIAL HOSPITALS
Section 8.370.12.28 - DIETARY SERVICES
Universal Citation: 8 NM Admin Code 8.370.12.28
Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
The hospital shall provide a 24-hour dietary service or contract for a 24-hour dietary services which meets the requirements of this section, and which shall provide meals and other nutritional care to its patients. The dietary service shall be integrated with other services of the hospital.
A. Administrative.
(1) There shall
be written policies and procedures for food storage, preparation and service
and clinical aspects developed by the dietitian.
(2) There shall be a qualified person serving
as full-time director of the service who shall be responsible for the daily
management aspects of the service.
(3) The dietitian shall participate in the
nutritional aspects of patient care by means that include assessing the
nutritional status of patients, instructing patients, recording diet histories,
interpreting and integrating therapeutic principles, participating
appropriately in patient rounds and conferences, and recording in medical
records and sharing specialized knowledge with others on the medical
team.
(4) There shall be written
job descriptions for all dietary employees.
(5) The dietitian shall be responsible for
maintaining a current diet manual for therapeutic diets, approved jointly by
the dietitian and a qualified member of the medical staff. The dietetic manual
shall be developed on recognized current therapeutic practices. The dietitian
shall recommend this manual to a qualified member of the medical staff for
approval for use in the facility. All changes must be submitted to a qualified
member of the medical staff for approval prior to inclusion in the
manual.
(6) There shall be an in
service training program for dietary employees which shall include instruction
in proper storage, preparation and serving food, safety, appropriate personal
hygiene and infection control.
(7)
A menu cycle shall be available and posted. Substitutions of equal nutritional
value are acceptable and shall be noted. The hospital must keep for 30 days a
record of each menu as served.
(8)
A hospital that contracts for its dietary services shall be in compliance with
this section if the contracted services meets all applicable rules of this
section.
B. Facilities:
(1) Adequate
facilities shall be provided to meet the dietary needs of the
patients.
(2) Sanitary conditions
shall be maintained for the storage, preparation and distribution of
food.
(3) All dietary areas shall
be appropriately located, adequate in size, well-lighted, ventilated and
maintained in a clean and orderly condition.
(4) Equipment and work areas shall be clean
and orderly. Effective procedures for cleaning and sanitizing all equipment and
work areas shall be followed consistently to safeguard the health of the
patients, staff and visitors.
(5)
Lavatories specifically for hand-washing shall include hot and cold running
water, soap, and disposable towels or air dryers, and shall be conveniently
located throughout the service area for use by dietary staff.
(6) The dietary service shall have written
reports of the most recent environmental or licensing inspection on file at the
hospital with notation made by the hospital of action taken to comply with
recommendations or citations.
(7)
Dry or staple food items shall be stored off the floor in a ventilated room
which is not subject to sewage or waste water back-flow or contamination by
condensation, leakage, rodents or vermin.
(8) All perishable foods shall be
refrigerated and the temperature maintained at, or below, 40 degrees
fahrenheit.
(9) Hot food shall be
maintained at 140 degrees fahrenheit, or higher.
(10) Foods being displayed or transported
shall be protected from environmental contamination and maintained at proper
temperatures in clean containers, cabinets or serving carts.
(11) Dishwashing procedures and techniques
shall be well-developed and understood by the responsible staff, with periodic
monitoring of the operation of the detergent dispenser, washing, rinsing, and
sanitizing temperatures and the cleanliness of machine and jets, and
thermostatic controls.
(12) A daily
log of recorded temperatures for all refrigerators, freezers, steam tables and
dishwashers must be maintained and available for inspection for 30
days.
(13) All garbage and kitchen
refuse not disposed of through a garbage disposal unit shall be kept in
watertight containers with close fitting covers and disposed of daily in a safe
and sanitary manner.
(14) Food and
non-food supplies shall be clearly labeled and dated and shall be stored in
separate areas.
(15) No hazardous
non-food items shall be stored in the proximity of materials that could
compromise the safety of the food supply.
(16) The dietitian shall be responsible for,
and active in, the hospital's quality improvement program.
C. Records:
(1) A systematic record shall be maintained
of all diets.
(2) Therapeutic diets
shall be prescribed by an authorized individual in written orders on the
medical record.
(3) Nutritional
needs shall be in accordance with physicians' orders and, to the extent
medically possible, in accordance with the "recommended daily dietary
allowance" of the food and nutrition board of the national research council,
national academy of sciences. A current edition of these standards shall be
available in the dietary service.
(4) The qualified staff person who instructs
the patient in home diet shall document this in the medical record.
D. Sanitation: All practices shall be in accordance with the standards of the New Mexico environment department.
(1) Kitchen
sanitation:
(a) Equipment and work areas
shall be clean and orderly. Surfaces with which food or beverages come into
contact shall be of smooth, impervious material free of open seams, not readily
corrosible and easily accessible for cleaning.
(b) Utensils shall be stored in a clean, dry
place protected from contamination.
(c) The walls, ceiling and floors of all
rooms in which food or drink is stored, prepared or served shall be kept clean
and in good repair.
(2)
Washing and sanitizing of kitchenware:
(a)
All reusable tableware and kitchenware shall be cleaned in accordance with
procedures as outlined by the New Mexico environment department, which shall
include separate steps for pre-washing, washing, rinsing and
sanitizing.
(b) Dishwashing
procedures and techniques shall be well-developed, understood by dishwashing
staff and carried out according to policy. To make sure that service ware is
sanitized and to prevent recontamination, correct temperature maintenance shall
be monitored during cleaning cycles.
(3) Canned or preserved foods:
(a) All processed food shall be procured from
sources that process the food under regulated quality and sanitation controls.
This does not preclude the use of local fresh produce.
(b) The hospital may not use home-canned
foods.
(4) Cooks and food
handlers: Cooks and food handlers shall wear clean outer garments and hair nets
or caps and gloves as needed and shall keep their hands clean at all times when
engaged in handling food, drink, utensils or equipment. Food handlers must
obtain a tuberculosis test, prior to employment and as often as required
thereafter according to hospital policy.
(5) Milk:
(a) Raw milk shall not be used.
(b) Milk for drinking shall be grade A
pasteurized whole milk (three and one-quarter percent milk fat or greater and
not less than eight and one-quarter milk solids, not fat) or any other grade A
fluid milk product as defined in the New Mexico Restaurant Act (includes skim
milk, low-fat milk, and cream products) unless otherwise requested by the
patient or as a part of a therapeutic diet.
(c) Condensed, evaporated, or dried milk
products which are recognized nationally, may be employed as "additives" in
cooked food preparation but shall not be substituted or served to patients
(adult, child, or infant) in place of milk as approved for drinking purposes.
These products shall be handled and stored in accordance with the requirements
of the current dietary practices.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New Mexico may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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