Insurance

I am currently a Medicare approved provider in California for medical nutrition therapy (MNT) services. Medicare Part B covers MNT if you:

• Have a referral from a provider(MD / DO / PA / NP) AND

• Are diagnosed with diabetes OR kidney disease.

If it will be your first year receiving MNT, you will be covered up to 3 hours within the same year. In the following years, you will be covered up to 2 hours/year. Your doctor may refer/order for more additional hours to be covered under Medicare if you have a change in your medical condition and receive medical justification for more MNT.  Of course, you may book more time per your preference, but may need to self-pay once Medicare coverage is exhausted. 

Basically,

Medicare provides for:

• MNT: first year 3 hours, and 2+ hours each subsequent year 

• DSME (Diabetes Self Management Education): 10 hours in first year, 2 hours in subsequent years

Out of Network:

• At this time, I am an out-of-network, private/self pay based practice. However, I am a participating Medicare provider and happily accept Medicare for eligible MNT services.

• This avoids long referral authorization times and offers a more efficient way to schedule an appointment! It also allows me to provide highly personalized nutrition care with transparent pricing and flexibility in how we work together. 

• Most nutrition visits with a referral from your primary care provider are covered, so I will always provide you a Superbill that you can submit to your insurance for partial or full reimbursement. For some, this is not too different from seeing an in-network provider, but still having a co-pay up front. 

  • (Please check what your deductible and out-of-network costs may be by calling your insurance. I recommend asking specifically if CPT codes 97802 and 97803 are covered.)

• Medi-Cal or financial hardship? I offer a sliding scale payment option and/or payment plan model to work with your needs.

• HSA/FSA: medical nutrition therapy/nutrition counseling is usually a qualified expense when you have a referral from your healthcare provider.

• All payment is due during booking to secure your appointment. (Credit card, Zelle/Venmo, HSA/FSA)