Outpatient Medical Nutrition Therapy

Outpatient Nutrition Counseling
Nutritional Guidance and Medical Nutrition Therapy Services for Children, Adolescents and Adults

Memorial Hospital is pleased to offer outpatient medical nutrition therapy to help you and your family learn to eat better as a way to prevent or manage disease.

What is Medical Nutrition Therapy?
Medical Nutrition Therapy is provided by a registered dietitian nutritionist and includes:

• Review of what you typically eat/eating habits
• Comprehensive nutrition assessment
• Individualized nutrition treatment plan

Our outpatient dietitian can help you learn how to read food labels, modify recipes, understand portion sizes and make smarter choices when planning meals. She has expertise in a wide range of clinical areas, including:

• Diabetes, including gestational diabetes
• Kidney disease
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Obesity / weight management
• Digestive disorders (irritable bowel syndrome, reflux, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, etc.)
• Liver disease
• Cancer
• Prenatal nutrition
• Wound care / pressure ulcers

Why is Nutrition Important?

Medical nutrition therapy is a cost-effective and vital part of the comprehensive services we offer at Memorial Hospital. Medical nutrition therapy can improve a person's overall health and quality of life, effectively treat and manage disease and may reduce or eliminate the need for prescription drugs.

How do I make an appointment?

• Request that your doctor print  the Medical Nutrition Therapy Order Form (download PDF).
• Once the doctor makes the referral, you will be contacted by a representative from our scheduling department to set up an appointment time.

Before your appointment:

• Print and complete the Nutrition and Eating Habits Questionnaire (download PDF). Please remember to bring the completed questionnaire to your appointment.
• On the day of your appointment, please arrive 10 minutes early and check in at the information desk in the lobby.

How Much Does Outpatient Nutrition Counseling Cost?
Private insurances vary in their coverage of outpatient medical nutrition therapy. Most plans will cover outpatient medical nutrition therapy for diabetes. We will verify your insurance and let you know before you arrive whether you will owe anything and how much it will be. For our patients who do not have insurance, we offer a standard discounted rate.

Traditional Medicare Coverage
Medicare patients with diabetes and/or kidney disease (except those on dialysis) are eligible to receive outpatient medical nutrition therapy at no out-of-pocket cost (deductible and co-pay are waived). Medicare covers three hours of one-on-one nutrition counseling services the first year, plus two hours every year thereafter. If your condition, treatment or diagnosis changes, you may be able to receive additional hours of nutrition therapy with a doctor’s referral.

Call 936-569-4605 for more information.