nutritionist question

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Do you have to be referred by your doctor to see one? Does anybody have one if so how have they helped you with losing weight?

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  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    To have the insurance pay for it you usually have to be referred. If you are paying cash they would be happy to see you.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    If you have an HMO - you must see your PCP first in about 90% of all HMO cases.
    If you have a PPO - you do not need a referral.

    Call your insurance and ask them the following questions:

    "Do you cover Nutritional visits with a Registered Dietician? If so, how many visits per calendar year?"

    "Does an RD visit go under my PCP copay or Specialist copay?"

    If your plan is a PPO:
    "Do I suffer a copay-penalty if I self-refer to an RD?"


    If your insurance doesnt give you benefits for RD's, ask your doctor for information about your local health dept - they may very well offer nutritional counseling for resident members of the community.

    I work as an Advanced Medical Reimbursement Specialist so this is a frequent thing I do for my patients