AGING AND DISABILITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
2008 NH "Dear Administrator" Letters
July 21, 2008
ADSA: NH #2008-010
GUIDANCE ON F325 NUTRITION AND F371 SANITARY CONDITIONS
Dear Nursing Facility/Home Administrator:
The purpose of this letter is to let you know about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) recent advance copy of their guidance and protocol on F-tag 325 Nutrition and F-tag 371 Sanitary Conditions. This advance copy included merging of F-tags, expansion of guidance and the addition of investigative protocols for surveyors.
This is effective September 1, 2008. Here are the highlights:
Although the regulatory language remains the same, F-tag 326 has been merged with F-tag 325:
- Surveyors are to focus on facility practice and determine avoidable and unavoidable weight loss.
- Nutrition and interventions to address weight change, risks associated with weight change and the appropriate use and impact of therapeutic diets are discussed.
- The guidance emphasizes reviewing the impact of interventions and reassessing risk factors and resident status at regular intervals as resident changes.
Although the regulatory language remains the same, F-tag 370 has been merged with F-tag 371.
- Definitions are provided to clarify terms related to sanitary conditions and the prevention of food borne illnesses.
- Types of food contamination, factors implicated in food borne illnesses and equipment and utensil cleaning and sanitation are discussed.
- The guidance provides clarification on the use of pasteurized eggs, surveying off-site kitchens and defining “ready-to-eat foods.”
You may access the advance guidance at:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SurveyCertificationGenInfo/downloads/SCLetter08-28.pdf
You may need to access the CMS website because this is an advance copy and there may be some changes in the final version. If you have any questions, please feel free to call your RCS Field Manager.
Sincerely,
Joyce Pashley Stockwell, Director
Residential Care Services
