Skilled nursing facilities

RDN coverage, menus, manuals, cost analysis and QAPI reviews for SNFs and small-house congregate living.

A consultant dietitian for a skilled nursing facility in California carries the clinical caseload and the department's compliance at the same time: nutrition assessments and care plans for residents, weight and pressure-injury monitoring, and a dietary department that will pass survey. We have provided that coverage to SNFs since 1976, along with the menus, manuals and reviews that keep the department running between visits.

Congregate living and small-house SNFs use the same products and services; the difference is scale, and we size the coverage accordingly.

What we handle for skilled nursing

  • Registered dietitian coverage

    Our food service and nutrition experts can be placed in your community for long-term or short-term coverage. Many of our RDNs hold specialized clinical expertise and board certifications in gerontological nutrition (CSG), renal nutrition (CSR) or nutrition support (CNSC), and all are trained in the federal and state regulations that apply to your type of facility.

  • Menu services

    Specialized cycle menus, with custom menus available. Menus are delivered seasonally so they use the freshest ingredients, on paper or through our online MenuCentral™ platform.

  • Cost analysis

    Concerned about your dietary budget? Our RDNs review the whole dietary system, from accounting and purchasing practices to food production, supplement and snack use and labor efficiency, and show you where the money goes.

  • Risk management and QAPI

    Experienced RDNs perform mock surveys, help implement QAPI plans and review the critical aspects of your nutritional care and dietary operations so you go into survey with the risks already handled.

  • Staff training and certification

    Our food and nutrition experts train your staff efficiently and thoroughly, with online education and ServSafe training and certification, so your department runs well between visits.

Menus and manuals for skilled nursing

Prices and details are on the menus and manuals and forms pages, where you can also place an order.

  • Monthly Online Menu Subscription

    $100.00 per month

    Online access to everything you need, with menus updated quarterly.

    A 10% discount applies if you also have RD services with Nutrition Ink.

  • Standard Menu (Skilled Nursing)

    $750.00 per menu set

    Four-week cycle menus for skilled nursing facilities, written quarterly, with nutritional analysis for each diet.

    Therapeutic diets included: Regular, Puree, Ground, Chopped, Consistent Carbohydrate, Liberal Dialysis, and small and large portion variations. Recipes come with HACCP instructions, allergen alerts and analysis adjusted to your community size. Additional diets (No Added Salt, Gluten Free, Lactose Free and others) can be added for a fee.

  • Select Standard or Custom Menu

    $750.00 per menu set

    A range of therapeutic diets with recipe instructions. Three- to six-week cycle menus written two to three times a year, with nutritional analysis for each diet.

    Includes master menu forms, daily menu spreadsheets and recipes adjusted for ground and chopped textures. Diets include Regular, Consistent Carbohydrate, Gluten Free, Lactose Free and Liberal Dialysis; other diets can be added for a fee.

  • Medical Nutrition Diet Therapy Manual (non-Group Home)

    $75.00 each

    A comprehensive diet manual, first published in 2002 and updated yearly, for interpreting diets, complying with federal regulations and clarifying physician orders. Covers long-term-care standards including liberalized diets.

  • Skilled Nursing Facility Policy & Procedure Manual

    $229.00 each

    Dietary policies and procedures for skilled nursing residents, based on current federal and California regulations and the latest Federal Food Code, with references to the California Retail Food Code and Title 22.

    The manual can be individualized for your facility at additional cost; our dietitians work with you so the procedures match your systems and it becomes a working tool for staff rather than a compliance binder. Customization pricing depends on the extent of the changes and is confirmed with you before work starts.

  • Sanitation Manual

    $50.00 each

    Step-by-step instructions for properly cleaning and sanitizing the equipment found in a facility kitchen.

  • Disaster Toolkit

    $50.00 each

    The essentials for a disaster-ready dietary program: policies and procedures, a menu with analysis and recipes, and an inventory list.

    Contents can be customized for an additional fee.

  • Clinical Notebook

    $25.00 each

    Tracking tools for new individuals, monthly and weekly weights, annuals, pressure areas, tube feeders and dialysis individuals, plus a communication log between the dietary manager and the registered dietitian.

    Includes a hydration protocol, a weight-loss protocol and a tracking system for RDN recommendations to nursing and dietary, so the dietitian and the dietary manager share one consistent record for every resident.

  • Successful Survey Toolkit (full set)

    $150.00 per set

    Laminated training guides that prepare kitchen staff for survey, covering 20 topics from cool-down procedures to handwashing, plus a quick reference guide, quiz cards and a scoop-sizes chart. Available in English or Spanish.

    Topics include calibrating thermometers, cleaning and sanitizing equipment (ice machine, meat slicer, thermometers), the cool-down process, disaster preparedness, dish machine sanitation, fire suppression, talking with surveyors, food temperatures, labeling, dating and storage, two- and three-compartment dishwashing, menu substitutions, thawing, handwashing and glove use, puree instructions and sanitizer-bucket testing.

Regulations we work to

Skilled nursing facilities in California are surveyed against the federal requirements of participation (the F-tags for food and nutrition services and resident nutrition) and California's Title 22, with the California Retail Food Code governing the kitchen. Our manuals cite these directly and our RDNs document to them.

Talk to us about your skilled nursing program. Tell us about the facility and what you need, and a staff specialist will be in touch.

Contact us