Nutrition Counseling, also referred to as Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), includes an Initial Assessment & Consultation and Follow-up Consultations with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). Clients who have consistent weekly sessions receive better support and experience faster progress and more sustainable outcomes. These sessions can be individual, or family based, depending upon your needs. Nutrition Counseling can take place in person or virtually and may be reimbursed by your insurance company depending upon your plan. We recommend that you call your insurance company to determine what nutrition therapy benefits your insurance plan covers. This is something our office is unable to do for you. Please use the Insurance Benefit Verification Procedure document we have provided as a guide.
Nutrition Counseling in Bay Area
How do I prepare for my initial session?
- Obtain a referral from your licensed healthcare provider (Physician, Nurse Practitioner or Psychiatrist). The referral is required by California law to provide MNT.
- ‘Opt in’ to Kalix. You will receive an email from Kalix, our EHR, inviting you to ‘opt in’ to receive necessary documents, appointment reminders and communication from BAN. If you do not see this email, please check your SPAM folder. Feel free to call our Intake Coordinator if you need help with this.
- Complete and submit all documents prior to your appointment. You will receive a separate email from Kalix with links to necessary documents. These documents must be filled out and submitted prior to your appointment to avoid spending session time completing them.
What to expect for my Initial session
Individual Initial sessions take approximately 70-85 minutes*. Family Initial sessions may take longer, 85-100 minutes and are broken down where the RDN spends some time with just the child/teen, some time with only parents/caregivers, and then time with everyone together.
*Note that Aetna and some Cigna plans only allow 55 minutes which does not allow for us to complete the full intake and assessment, you have the option to self pay for the additional 25 minutes or we will schedule a second session ASAP to complete the intake and assessment.
During the initial session, we will spend time getting to know you and how food and nutrition affects your life, health and well-being by discussing your history, what you are experiencing now, as well as what you hope to achieve. We will complete a self-assessment that identifies where you are at, what is important to you, and what you most want for your future health and wellbeing. Based upon this information, we will work together and create a personal plan or blueprint of what we will focus on, how often we will meet, and what modalities to incorporate to best support your individual needs to help you achieve your goals.
What to expect for my Follow up sessions?
Follow-up consultations generally take about 55 minutes.
Clients who have consistent weekly sessions receive needed support and experience faster progress and more sustainable outcomes. Your RDN and you will discuss the frequency of follow-up sessions to best support your needs, goals, and the plan you and your RDN have developed.
As we work together, we will periodically repeat the self-assessment and evaluate progress to ensure we are on track with goals and plans and make any necessary changes.
Additional Nutrition Support Options
You and your RDN may decide to incorporate some additional strategies and support as needed for accountability and support.
- Online Nutrition Assessment & Management—App or online based program used to communicate and share food intake, vitals or labs with RDN in between sessions. Monthly Subscription fee $110 (some insurance companies may reimburse for this service).
- Treatment & Care Collaboration—RDN will communicate with other care team members to discuss treatment plans and coordinate care to ensure everyone on your team is on the same page and effectively supporting you. Charges are based upon RDNs consulting rate (some insurance companies may reimburse for this service).
- Meals/Snack Support with your RDN (in person or virtual)—generally part of a nutrition counseling follow-up session.
- Food Trying Experiences, Exposures & Exploration (in person or virtual)—generally part of a nutrition counseling follow-up session.