JCAHO Meal Planning Guidelines

The Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or JCAHO, is a federal commission that conducts surveys of hospitals and other healthcare institutions that accept Medicare or Medicaid. The commission monitors the quality, safety and security of these institutions to protect patients’ rights and to assure that all who enter the doors of an institution are treated equally. The JCAHO compiles general guidelines, which each institution is in charge of adhering to, for every process it performs, including meal planning.

Preparation

• The primary concern of the JCAHO is safety of the patients. Hospitals and even some office clinics can provide food to patients; however, this food must go through a rigorous screening process before it can be delivered to the patients. Each patient’s allergies and risk factors are identified and taken into consideration in the preparation of the food. Standard preparation will not involve the contact of nuts or certain fruits that are known allergens to a number of patients. Other considerations will need to be made as well, including the introduction of latex to the food through gloves. Some patients are allergic to latex, and the best policy is to avoid introducing food to this allergen.

Source

• The source of the food that will be part of the meal plan is extremely important. Hospitals should purchase foods from the highest quality vendors to ensure healthy and fresh products. The JCAHO wants to make sure that the source material from which the food is prepared is reputable and safe. If the vendors the institution is dealing with are not considered appropriate or reputable, this could lead to the institution's accreditation being waived. Healthcare institutions should check out vendors' processes and ask for references.

Meal Plans

• The meal plan for each patient should be tailored individually. Risk factors such as heart disease and high blood pressure will be taken into account, while also keeping in mind the patient’s dietary needs. A balanced meal full of proteins, carbohydrates and essential fats will be developed. At least three main meals will be provided daily to assist the patient in recovery or surgery preparation. A log of the meals should be kept, and the amount of calories and nutrients that each patient is receiving should be monitored daily.