LAC 48:I.9381. Menus and Therapeutic Diets

A. Menus shall be prepared in advance, meet the nutritional needs of the patients in accordance with the recommended dietary allowances of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, or as modified in accordance with the orders of the practitioner(s) responsible for the care of the patient, and followed as planned. B. Therapeutic diets shall be prescribed by the licensed practitioner(s) responsible for the care of the patient. Therapeutic diets, and laboratory tests to monitor the effectiveness of the dietary plan, may be prescribed by a licensed dietitian/nutritionist subject to the approval of, and authorization by, the facility's medical staff or bylaws and in accordance with state law. Each patient's nutritional intake shall be documented in the patient's medical record. Nutritional intake includes both enteral and parenteral nutrition. C. There shall be a procedure for the accurate transmittal of dietary orders to the dietary service and for informing the dietary service when the patient does not receive the ordered diet, or is unable to consume the prescribed diet. D. There shall be a current therapeutic diet manual, which shall be the guide used for ordering and serving diets and other nutritional intake. The manual shall be approved by the dietitian and medical staff and be readily available to all medical, nursing and food service personnel.