Appointment Info / FAQWHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM AN INITIAL APPOINTMENT?
Much of the first session will be spent getting to know your health status, eating habits and nutrition concerns. We'll discuss what you hope to achieve through nutrition counseling and together come up with personalized goals, as well as discus our recommendations for getting you to them. Depending on what you need and how much time we have, we may provide meal planning strategies, food suggestions, nutrition education, supplement and/or lab testing recommendations. Lastly, we'll make a plan for follow-up appointments. |
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HOW DO I PREPARE FOR MY INITIAL APPOINTMENT?
- Complete online intake forms through the patient portal and upload any additional information you want us to have, such as...
- reports from your recent doctor's visits
- pediatric growth charts
- recent or relevant lab results
- pictures of your nutrition supplement bottles (front label and the ingredients)
- Verify your insurance benefits. Ensure we have any required referrals or diagnosis codes prior to your appointment.
- Our system will send email and/or text reminders with the meeting link as long as you don't disable them or unsubscribe. You can also always access the meeting link from the client portal.
- We recommend using a computer for teleheatlh appointments, but if you plan to use your phone or tablet you'll need to download the Simple Practice app.
HOW OFTEN WILL I SEE MY NUTRITIONIST?
Most people see us every 1-3 weeks initially, and taper down over time. The frequency of visits is individual and depends upon your current nutrition status, goals, progress, and accountability needs. Clients see the best results when regularly attending appointments.
Most people see us every 1-3 weeks initially, and taper down over time. The frequency of visits is individual and depends upon your current nutrition status, goals, progress, and accountability needs. Clients see the best results when regularly attending appointments.
WILL HEALTH INSURANCE COVER MY APPOINTMENTS?
Most health insurance plans do cover nutrition counseling, either as part of your preventive health benefits (no cost to you) or medical benefits (you may owe a portion of the cost). While we do not call to check insurance benefits on your behalf, we do provide a comprehensive resource for you on coverage and requirements for the plans we accept. Payment is ultimately your responsibility so we encourage you to verify your nutrition benefits.
Most health insurance plans do cover nutrition counseling, either as part of your preventive health benefits (no cost to you) or medical benefits (you may owe a portion of the cost). While we do not call to check insurance benefits on your behalf, we do provide a comprehensive resource for you on coverage and requirements for the plans we accept. Payment is ultimately your responsibility so we encourage you to verify your nutrition benefits.
WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?
Your appointment time is reserved just for you and it is nearly impossible for us to fill a spot with less than 48 hours notice. Therefore, a $100 fee will be incurred for missed appointments without at least 48 hours notice. This fee is not covered by insurance. A payment card on file is required to schedule an appointment and will be automatically charged in case of late cancellation or no show.
Late cancellation fees may be waived if we are able to reschedule you for the same Mon-Sat week. This option is not always available depending upon your dietitian’s availability and your appointment day (i.e. if your appointment is on your clinician’s last working day of the week). This policy exception does not apply to no shows.
If you know you will be late to an appointment or will miss it altogether, please let us know as soon as possible. If you are more than 10-15 minutes late and we haven’t heard from you, we will consider it a no-show.
Your appointment time is reserved just for you and it is nearly impossible for us to fill a spot with less than 48 hours notice. Therefore, a $100 fee will be incurred for missed appointments without at least 48 hours notice. This fee is not covered by insurance. A payment card on file is required to schedule an appointment and will be automatically charged in case of late cancellation or no show.
Late cancellation fees may be waived if we are able to reschedule you for the same Mon-Sat week. This option is not always available depending upon your dietitian’s availability and your appointment day (i.e. if your appointment is on your clinician’s last working day of the week). This policy exception does not apply to no shows.
If you know you will be late to an appointment or will miss it altogether, please let us know as soon as possible. If you are more than 10-15 minutes late and we haven’t heard from you, we will consider it a no-show.
I'M NOT IN SEATTLE... CAN I STILL WORK WITH YOU?
Yes! We offer virtual appointments (also called telehealth) where me meet online for a video call. It's similar to Skype but we use a more secure platform for healthcare. Most insurance companies we accept cover these type of visits for clients in Washington State. See our Rates / Insurance page for more details on coverage.
If you live outside of Washington State, please contact us prior to scheduling your appointment to determine if we can work with you. Some states allow it, and some do not.
Telehealth sessions might not be covered across state lines so, as always, it's important for you to ask your insurance company.
Yes! We offer virtual appointments (also called telehealth) where me meet online for a video call. It's similar to Skype but we use a more secure platform for healthcare. Most insurance companies we accept cover these type of visits for clients in Washington State. See our Rates / Insurance page for more details on coverage.
If you live outside of Washington State, please contact us prior to scheduling your appointment to determine if we can work with you. Some states allow it, and some do not.
Telehealth sessions might not be covered across state lines so, as always, it's important for you to ask your insurance company.
HOW DO I MEET WITH YOU FOR A VIRTUAL/ TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENT?
Your email appointment reminder will contain a link to join the video call. If you have opted to not receive email appointment reminders, you can login to our patient portal and under the appointments tab there will be a button to join the video call.
This link has more great info and tips for preparing for your telehealth appointment.
Your email appointment reminder will contain a link to join the video call. If you have opted to not receive email appointment reminders, you can login to our patient portal and under the appointments tab there will be a button to join the video call.
This link has more great info and tips for preparing for your telehealth appointment.
I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY CHILD'S EATING/FEEDING... DOES HE/SHE NEED TO COME?
Insurance billing requires that we meet "face-to-face with the patient". That means that if you want to use your insurance benefits to discuss your child's nutrition, your child must be present for at least part of the session. Additionally, we need to physically see and interact with your child in order to assess nutrition status, monitor weight/growth, and make individualized recommendations. We are able to meet with parents and caregivers separately for consultation regarding general pediatric and adolescent nutrition and feeding, though this will need to be paid for out-of-pocket.
Insurance billing requires that we meet "face-to-face with the patient". That means that if you want to use your insurance benefits to discuss your child's nutrition, your child must be present for at least part of the session. Additionally, we need to physically see and interact with your child in order to assess nutrition status, monitor weight/growth, and make individualized recommendations. We are able to meet with parents and caregivers separately for consultation regarding general pediatric and adolescent nutrition and feeding, though this will need to be paid for out-of-pocket.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RDN, CNS, AND OTHER "NUTRITIONISTS"?
The short answer is that all Registered Dietitians (RD or RDN) are nutritionists but not all nutritionists are Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. Virtually anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, which makes it really tough to differentiate those with extensive nutrition education (i.e. RDN and CNS) from those who took a weekend class or read a book.
Other nutritionists (health coaches, holistic nutritionists, nutrition therapy practitioner, etc.) may have little to no formal training in nutrition and their services are not eligible for insurance reimbursement anywhere in the US.
The short answer is that all Registered Dietitians (RD or RDN) are nutritionists but not all nutritionists are Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. Virtually anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, which makes it really tough to differentiate those with extensive nutrition education (i.e. RDN and CNS) from those who took a weekend class or read a book.
Other nutritionists (health coaches, holistic nutritionists, nutrition therapy practitioner, etc.) may have little to no formal training in nutrition and their services are not eligible for insurance reimbursement anywhere in the US.