Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 103 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION › Title 103 CMR 761.00 - Access To Therapeutic Diets And Medical Care › Section 761.07 - Access to Therapeutic Diets and Medical Care

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) Therapeutic diets shall be available to
			 all inmates upon the written prescription of a physician or dentist employed by
			 the Department or by its Contractual Medical Provider.
(2) Health Services Unit staff promptly shall
			 transmit a Diet Order Form to the Food Services manager/supervisor, providing
			 notification of the inmate's therapeutic dietary needs, the type of diet, the
			 duration and, if applicable, any special dietary or preparation instructions.
			 Health Services Unit staff shall also enter the information into the Inmate
			 Management System (IMS) Medical Orders screen, thus generating an electronic
			 notification to food services staff. The food services manager/supervisor shall
			 view the IMS Notifications screen on a daily basis in order to identify new and
			 changed diet orders. The IMS Medical Issues report may also be utilized to
			 identify inmates with therapeutic diet orders.
(3) The on-site Food Service
			 manager/supervisor shall ensure that the appropriate therapeutic diet is
			 provided to the inmate and that the meal is of comparable palatability to
			 regular meals. The Department's Food Services staff shall weigh or measure meal
			 portions if required by the type of therapeutic diet.
(4) Upon presentation of his or her
			 identification card, an inmate in general population shall be given the
			 appropriate therapeutic diet. The inmate shall sign a diet roster upon receipt
			 of the diet meal.
(5) Therapeutic
			 diet orders shall be reviewed at least every 120 days by a physician or dentist
			 employed by the Department or its contractual medical provider and shall not be
			 altered or discontinued unless by order of these medical providers. Any changes
			 to the order shall be entered in the IMS Medical Orders screen.
(6) Reasonable variances from institutional
			 rules shall be authorized, in accordance with institutional procedures, when
			 necessary to ensure that prisoners on therapeutic diets have access to these
			 diets and to health care for their dietary and/or medical needs. Such variances
			 shall include, but shall not be limited to, accommodations necessary to ensure
			 that inmates with diabetes are permitted sufficient time in which to monitor
			 their blood sugar levels, to receive insulin, and to receive appropriate meals
			 on a timely basis.
(7) Requests for
			 medical attention shall be assessed and processed in accordance with guidelines
			 established by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and
			 according to American Correctional Association standards and Department
			 guidelines.
(8) Physician orders
			 for consultations with specialized care providers shall be reviewed for
			 authorization by the Program Medical Director of the Contractual Medical
			 Provider within seven days of the order, and, if not denied, arrangements for
			 the consultation shall be made within seven days of the Medical Director's
			 review and the consultation shall occur within a reasonable time.
(9) Prescribed specialized equipment shall be
			 reviewed for authorization by the Medical Director of the Contract Medical
			 Provider within seven days of the medical order. If the order is not denied and
			 further testing is not required, the equipment shall be ordered within seven
			 days of the Medical Director's review. The equipment shall be provided to the
			 inmate within a reasonable time.
(10) Correction officers and other staff
			 shall not interfere with medical orders.