Portion Size Matters (Tennessee)

Portion Size Matters (Tennessee)

Under CMS Tag F803 menus must meet the nutritional needs of residents with established national guidelines, be prepared in advance, be followed, be updated, be reviewed by a Registered Dietitian, and meet the needs of the resident. A community was found out of compliance with this requirement during an observation of a staff member who failed to serve the correct portion sizes for pureed foods to those residents who had a pureed diet order. The incorrect portion utensil was used for three of the food items planned on the menu during the meal observed. The menu diet spreadsheets were posted on the service line which indicated the correct portion utensil to be used; unfortunately, they were not referenced prior to service. During the surveyor interview with the staff member, it was identified that they were recently hired and had not yet been trained on the use of the menu spreadsheets and proper portion sizes.

The Food and Nutrition Director confirmed that the staff member had recently been hired and a competency checklist of training had been started on the staff member but not yet completed. Due to staffing challenges, the staff member had been put on the schedule to work a shift on their own prior to completing the entire new hire training process. In response to this, the staff member received education on the proper procedure, use of spreadsheets, and portion sizes. This incident served as a good reminder to allow sufficient time for thorough and complete training prior to working unaccompanied shifts and follow up by the manager to assess comprehension for new associates moving forward.

For more information about how our Crandall Systems help with trainings for directors and staff, visit our website here.