Diets and menus

(a) At least three (3) palatable meals or their equivalent shall be served daily, at regular times with not more than fifteen (15) hours between a substantial evening meal and breakfast. Menus shall be planned and followed to meet nutritional needs of patients, in accordance with physicians' or licensed independent practitioners' orders and to the extent medically possible, in accordance with the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) of the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences. (b) Diets shall be prescribed by the physician or licensed independent practitioner responsible for the care of the patient. All modified diets shall be prescribed by the patient's physician or licensed independent practitioner according to the latest edition of the Oklahoma Diet Manual or other equivalent approved diet manual. The Oklahoma Diet Manual or other equivalent manual shall be approved by the licensed/registered dietitian and medical staff and shall be available to all medical, nursing, and food service personnel. (c) Nourishments shall be available and may be offered at anytime in accordance with approved diet orders. (d) Menus covering all prescribed diets shall be approved, dated, and periodically reviewed by a licensed/registered dietitian. (1) Modified diet orders not covered with an approved menu shall be planned in writing, reviewed, and approved by the licensed/registered OAC 310:667 OKLAHOMA STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 34 September 13, 2019 dietitian or designee with consultation by the licensed/registered dietitian. (2) All modified diets shall be efficiently served under the general supervision of a licensed/registered dietitian, a certified dietary manager, or a registered dietary technician. (e) The portioning of menu servings shall be accomplished with the use of portion-control serving utensils. (f) All modified diets shall be prepared separately, as necessary, from regular diets. (g) An identification system shall be established to assure that each patient receives their prescribed diet as ordered.