Consultant dietitians

A consultant dietitian for a skilled nursing facility, assisted living community or group home has to do two jobs at once: care for residents, and keep the dietary department compliant with the federal and state regulations it will be surveyed on. Our food service and nutrition experts do both, for facilities in California, Arizona and Washington. They can be placed in your community for long-term or short-term coverage, and we can also provide corporate oversight of your food and nutrition services department if you need it.

Coverage models

Long-term placement. An RDN assigned to your facility on a regular schedule, sized to your census and your regulatory requirements, who becomes part of your team.

Short-term and relief coverage. Coverage for leave, vacancy or a temporary increase in need, so residents keep getting assessed and the department keeps its documentation current.

Corporate oversight. For organizations with several facilities, a management RDN who oversees the food and nutrition services department, standardizes practice across sites and reports to leadership.

What a consultant visit covers

The schedule is sized to your facility, but the work falls into the same three areas.

Residents. Nutrition assessments and care plans; weights and weight changes; skin integrity and pressure injuries; hydration; tube feedings; therapeutic and texture-modified diets, written by IDDSI level; and diet orders that match what the kitchen serves. In behavioral health settings that also means monitoring weight and metabolic changes with psychiatric medications, food and drug interactions, and meal refusals.

The dietary department. A check of the kitchen and food service on each visit: sanitation and food safety, food storage and temperatures, menus and recipes followed as written, and residents' preferences, allergies and substitutions honored at the meal.

Documentation and staff. Each visit is documented with our standardized tools, so you have a record ready for survey. Our RDNs train kitchen and care staff, and their findings feed your QAPI program.

In ICF homes, our dietitians chart in our own program, built for ICF homes and for Title 22. How our nutrition program works.

The regulations behind the work

In skilled nursing, surveyors cite the federal requirements as F-tags: F692 for nutrition and hydration status, F693 for tube feeding, and the F800 series for food and nutrition services, from qualified dietary staff (F801) and menus (F803) to food safety (F812). Each state adds its own licensing rules: Title 22 in California; the Arizona Department of Health Services rules in Title 9, Chapter 10 of the Arizona Administrative Code; and, in Washington, chapter 388-97 WAC for nursing homes and chapter 388-78A WAC for assisted living. Assisted living, group homes and ICF-IIDs, hospitals and psychiatric facilities each have their own requirements; see the facility pages for each setting.

Regulatory and clinical expertise

Our RDNs are trained and equipped with the knowledge of federal and state regulations for a wide range of facilities, so your needs are covered fully. Many hold specialized clinical expertise and board certifications: Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition (CSG), Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition (CSR), or Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC).

Where we work

Our consultant RDNs work with facilities in California, Arizona and Washington. If your facility is elsewhere in the western United States, ask us about coverage.

Support behind every consultant

Every consultant is backed by our office, which has placed RDNs since 1976: standardized documentation and tracking tools, the menus and manuals for the facilities they cover, an experienced management RDN to call, and continuing education.

How an engagement starts

1. Tell us about your facility: type, census, current coverage and what you need.
2. We match an RDN with the right experience for your setting and agree on a schedule.
3. Coverage begins, with the documentation, tracking tools and support from our office that keep it running.

Questions about consultant dietitian services

How often does the consultant dietitian visit?

It depends on the facility type, the census and the state's requirements. Many assisted living communities need a few hours a quarter, group homes a few hours a month, and skilled nursing facilities a regular schedule sized to the census. We set the schedule with you before coverage starts.

Can you cover a vacancy or a leave of absence?

Yes. Short-term and relief coverage keeps residents assessed and documentation current while a position is open or your dietitian is out.

Where do your consultant dietitians work?

In California, Arizona and Washington. If your facility is elsewhere in the western United States, ask us about coverage. Our menus are available to facilities nationwide.

Do your dietitians have specialty credentials?

Every consultant is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). Many also hold board certifications: Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition (CSG), Certified Specialist in Renal Nutrition (CSR) or Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC).

Can one dietitian oversee several of our facilities?

Yes. With corporate oversight, a management RDN oversees the food and nutrition services departments across your facilities, standardizes practice between sites and reports to leadership.

How do we get started?

Tell us about your facility: type, census, current coverage and what you need. We match an RDN with the right experience for your setting and agree on a schedule.