Frequently Asked Questions

The Friendly Dietitian is currently in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, HealthChoice of Oklahoma, Aetna and United HealthCare.

Call them!

Here is a handy worksheet to give you an idea of what questions you should ask your insurance company to find out your nutrition benefits. We are also happy to walk you through this process too because we like it when insurance covers our sessions! You're paying to have great health coverage, you might as well use it!

This occasionally happens, but we know we provide life changing services so there are always options.

Self-pay options include:

1. You can receive a superbill (aka a Statement for Insurance Reimbursement) that you can submit to your insurer for possible reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses.

2. You can pay for services with your HSA or FSA funds.

3. You can take advantage of a prompt pay discount for services paid for up front.

4. We can discuss payment plans.

You bet! Medical Nutrition Therapy is considered a qualifying medical expense so you can enter your card as your preferred source of payment. This includes the cost of your co-pay and co-insurance as well as the entire session (if needed). We always let you know before we charge your card.

Great question!

Nutritionist is an unregulated term. Anyone, including your friend who has a career in something completely different can call themselves a nutritionist. While some "nutritionists" may hold certifications, it's not required so even you could call yourself a nutritionist as someone who is interested in nutrition.

A registered dietitian (RD) is someone who has completed and maintains rigorous educational and training requirements.

At a minimum, a registered dietitian completes: · A bachelor’s degree, including a Didactic Program in Dietetics- some RD's even have master's degrees · 1200 hours of supervised practice · A registration exam · 75 hours of continuing education every 5 years

RD's only use scientifically based research methods for disease control and prevention, improve relationship with food and body image, improvement of athletic performance, and help increase food quality. So we could say that a registered dietitian is a nutritionist, but a nutritionist is NOT a dietitian. In fact, some dietitians call themselves registered dietitian nutritionists (RDN)- it's the same thing as a registered dietitian just with an extra letter! How's that for confusing?!

You can always book a session online for your convenience. For your first session, we like to have at least 1 week notice ahead of time to make sure we get our ducks in a row. Once you set up a profile in Healthie (our practice management software), you will be directed to fill out a series of forms. It can take about 15-20 minutes to fill out and it includes:

- A brief health history form,

- A form describing our practice policies,

- A telehealth consent form (even if you don't intend to meet via telehealth, this is helpful to have on hand),

- A HIPPA agreement form,

- A credit card (or HSA/FSA card),

- Insurance information form (be sure to have your insurance card handy),

- Your driver's license (so we can prove you are who you say you are in the event of an insurance audit),

- A release of information for your dietitian to communicate about your care with your other care team members, like your counselor and doctor.

Wheew! Then once we have all of that, we like to contact your insurance company on your behalf to find out what kind of coverage you have for medical nutrition therapy. We encourage you to do the same and you can access the list of questions you'll want to ask your insurance company here:

Our dietitians like to take an individualized approach which means they will take the time to get to know YOU and your individual needs. This includes getting to know your personality style... Do you like to journal, talk it out, or both? They like to hear about your history and possible related medical conditions. They also address the logistics of a busy lifestyle and works with you to set up systems that you will be able to implement.

Our dietitians have been practicing for many years so they have encountered many complex issues. Everyone is different so while some of the content they cover are similar - like developing a meal planning system, going over nutrition basics (or getting into the nerdy details if you're into that)- Your dietitian will adapt it to fit each individual's needs. Ultimately, YOU are the one who is doing the work - Your dietitian serves as the guide... And you'll have fun along the way!