consults dietitian nutrition assessment denton texas 76201

Consults

Appointment Hours

I am available during the following hours and sometimes for same day appointments.

During the Fall and Spring semesters for UNT, Full Circle Nutrition appointments are taken:

Monday

, Tuesday, and

Wednesday

m to 9:15am

and 4:

pm to

0pm.

Thursdays and Fridays

:00am t

Saturday

:00am to

:00pm.

During the summer, holidays, and semester breaks at UNT, appointments are available Monday

through

Friday

from

:00am to

0pm

and Saturdays from 1

am to

What to Expect

The first appointment is a complete nutrition assessment and takes the entire 60 minutes.
Beginning nutrition knowledge is assessed, anthropometric and psychometric data is assessed,
health history, s/s, and risk factors are determined. Please bring any current labs (less that 3 mos
old.) The most common useful labs: CBC, CMP with albumin and FASTING glucose, A1c, vitamin D,
lipids panel, liver panel (if warranted), bone density (if warrented), anemia panel, and B12. Not all of
these are needed. It depends on what is going on with you.
The second appointment is usually scheduled 1 to 7 days after the first appointment and is an hour
long. It can be broken into two smaller 1/2 hour sessions if needed. At this appointment we will
review the homework I gave you at the first appointment. We will review your nutrition consult report
with your estimated needs. We will begin any medical nutrition therapy education first. If time
remains, we will cover any nutrition risk issues uncovered at the assessment, and cover basic
nutrition educational materials. Topics not covered in the second appointment are covered in the
third and subsequent appointments.
The third appointment requires you to submit the homework I gave you at the second appointment
so I can evaluate it. The third appointment is also an hour long, but can also be broken up into two
1/2 hour appointments, if needed.
Pre and post knowledge will be assessed to objectively evaluate, measure, and document dietetic
intervention and efficacy. Psychometric tests will be given to help the dietitian increase your
success rate and knowledge retention.
Follow up appointments will be scheduled based on need and time needed to see improvement.
Initial and follow up consults are usually 60-minutes for the first 3 to 4 visits. After that they can vary
from 30-minutes to 60-minutes based on reason and need for follow up.
You may be scheduled into a group class in between consults to maximize education opportunity.

Payment

Consult fees or co-payments are due at the time of service.
Your consult fee covers pre-appointment prep-work, insurance preauthorization / verification, the
actual consult time, medication review, basic research as needed, the clinical evaluation of the
assessment and writing of the consult reports, educational material assembly, insurance billing /
payment follow up / noncoverage problem solving, and other post-appointment requirements. It is
not uncommon for me to put in 3+ hours for the one hour I charge for.
Checks, money orders, cash, BCBS, Cigna, Medicare-B, Medicaid, United Health, Health Net,
Pacificare, Great-West, Health Allies, Access One, Medical Resource, Premara Blue Cross, and
Aetna are currently accepted.
Please note: your insurance may not cover "nutritional consults". Please check ahead of time to see
if you are covered to see a dietitian for more than "diabetes management".To get correct
information, make sure to talk to a human representative. I usually fall under the "specialist" copay.
I am no longer able to accept credit cards at this time, sorry.
If you have POS or HMO insurance or if you are unsure, please make sure your doctor's office
generates a referral authorization to see me. A letter will be sent to you and me and is required prior
to your visit in order to be covered. In some cases, a referral letter won't cover you if the diagnosis is
excluded on your policy. (Example, if you are only covered for diabetes, referral letter or not, it won't
be covered.). Check for policy exclusions and "day/dollar" limits. Make sure your insurance doesn't
require your deductible to be met first.
For Medicare part B--You must have a written referral with a diagnosis code(s) and your doctor's
NPI number at the first visit. Medicare only covers for diabetes type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes,
and kidney disease. You can still see a dietitian if you want, but Medicare probably won't cover it.
Medicare part B allows you to see a dietitian for 3 hours in the first year and 2 hours each year after
only if your doctor refers you to a dietitian each time. Additional hours above that can be appealed if
the dietitian deems it medically necessary on a case by case basis with doctor recommendation.

Goals

Emphasis is placed on the positive. I show clients how to eat, not how to diet and what you can eat
rather than what you can't. This lifestyle / behavior modification education process takes time.
I am not one to hand you a diet, pat you on the head and wish you good luck. I am invested in each
of my patients' long term success. I take my job very personally and get great joy when you succeed.
Long-term behavior change is the focus, patience with yourself is key. This didn't happen overnight
and it won't get better overnight. There is no magic pill for medical nutrition therapy. Your
willingness to learn, dedication, determination, patience with yourself and the process, and
discipline will be the key factors in your success. You will have times where you don't do it right. Be
patient, you are in the learning process.
The ideal therapeutic method is presented first. If that doesn't work for you, alternative Evidenced-
Based methods will be discussed and developed to meet your individualized needs. I am very
creative.
Emphasis is put on learning, long term concept retention, and positive behavior modification. All
medical nutrition therapy concepts and nutrition education classes utilize evidenced based
guidelines.
I do not support, teach, or assist patients with fad diets. Only evidenced based therapies are used.

For your Appointment (click here for a form)

Bring at least a 3-day food diary for the dietitian to evaluate. A food diary includes every thing that
enters your mouth (fluid, food, supplement, etc) in the last 72 hours for a typical day. Please note,
this does not include unusual days, holidays, etc.
Recent Lab work (with in last 3 months) You may need to fill out a medical release from the MD
Bring a referral from your doctor or preauthorization letter if you are using insurance.
Bring your insurance card(s) and ID
Current blood pressure from MD or local pharmacy machine
Check with your insurance company to see if "Nutritional Counseling", "Dietitian Services", or
"Diabetes Management" are covered. If this service is covered, please bring the coverage details
prior to your appointment and your coverage confirmation number.
Determine if you have a deductible and if that deductible has been met. If it hasn't you will be
responsible for the cost of services rendered. A claim will be submitted so any cost you incur will go
towards your deductible.
Ask what percentage is covered for In Network and Out of Network providers.
Receipts are provided for payments/copayments received
Please come hydrated and don't wear heavy clothes if you want an accurate weighing.
Wear shoes and socks that can be removed.
Please bring a list of prescriptions, supplements, and herbs taken. Please note the name, quantity
and frequency. "PRN" means taken as needed.

Full Circle Nutrition