On September 28, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final regulations of Part 483 to Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the Requirements for States and Long-Term Care Facilities. Amongst these requirements is the inclusion of the Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP) being listed first amongst qualifications for the newly designated Director of Food and Nutrition Services.

The requirements (§483.60(a)(2)) state, “we proposed to continue to require that, if a qualified dietitian or other clinically qualified nutrition professional was not employed full-time, the facility would have to designate a person to serve as the Director of Food and Nutrition Services who would receive frequently scheduled consultation from a qualified dietitian. We proposed to require that the director of food and nutrition services, if hired or designated after the effective date of these regulations, would have to be a certified dietary manager or certified dietary manager such as those by the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals (ANFP)..."

According to the requirements, individuals who are currently employed as the designated Director of Food and Nutrition Services prior to November 28, 2016 will have five years to meet the staffing requirements outlined by CMS. Individuals hired after November 28, 2016 will have no later than one year to meet these staffing requirements.

The requirements state, “For designations prior to November 28, 2016, meets the following requirements no later than 5 years after November 28, 2016, or no later than 1 year after November 28, 2016 for designations after November 28, 2016.”

To view section §483.60 Food and Nutrition Services, click HERE.

To view the entire Requirements for States and Long-Term Care Facilities, click HERE.

ANFP can view a free webinar, New CMS Regulatory LTC Requirements for Food/Nutrition and Dining, by clicking HERE. The webinar will be available for free to ANFP members until November 17. After November 17, it will be available for a fee. The webinar is worth 1 CE.