The purpose of this section is to assure patient nutritional needs are met in a planned and organized manner.

Hospitals must:

(1) Designate an individual qualified by experience, education, or training to be responsible for managing the food and nutrition services;

(2) Designate a registered dietitian responsible to develop and implement policies and procedures addressing nutritional care for patients;

(3) Have a registered dietitian available to assess nutritional needs, based on patients' individual nutritional risk screen;

(4) Develop and regularly update an interdisciplinary plan for nutritional therapy based on current standards for patients at nutritional risk. Monitor and document each patient's response to the nutritional therapy in the medical record;

(5) Implement, document and monitor a system for providing nutritionally balanced meals that are planned in advance, and respect cultural diversity; and

(6) Adopt and implement policies and procedures for food service according to chapter 246-215 WAC.