Primary Care Dietitian Services
I am pleased to announce that I have accepted a position as Director of Clinical Nutrition & Wellness at Urban Health, a primary care medical office in Central Florida. I am accepting new patients and can’t wait to welcome you to the practice.
If you need a new primary care physician I highly recommend our Medical Director, Dr. Jaime Gonzalez (Dr. G), whom I have worked with for many years. Dr. Gonzalez understands the importance of nutrition so much so that he has decided to add an on-site dietitian (me) to his provider team.
Together Dr. Gonzalez, along with the other team providers are looking forward to creating an innovative approach to primary care medicine, one which values nutrition in both prevention and treatment of chronic illness.
If you already have a primary care doctor that you love, then fabulous! You can still visit me on the Wellness side of our practice.
Nutrition in the Primary Care Setting
Providing nutrition in a primary care medical office by may seem like common sense but in actuality it is quite rare. Sure, your doctor may spend a few minutes recommending weight loss or suggest a low salt diet but have you ever been to a doctor’s office that offers onsite nutritional counseling by a licensed professional?
Well, times are changing, finally! I don’t think there are many of us out there right now, but Dr. G and I are dedicated to figuring out how to make th
And now that I have my foot in the door, hang on, it’s going to be a wonderful ride. The possibilities are endless: classes, private consults, integrative functional nutrition & medicine, nutritional interventions for chronic disease management… Ah, be still my rapidly beating heart. Breathe Wendimere, breathe.
Intrigued? Hopefully, by now I have captured your attention. So what does this mean for you, the patient? Let’s start with the basics…
What is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)?
A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist is someone that has completed the following:
Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition from an accredited institution
I have a B.S. Degree in Nutrition & Dietetics from Florida State University plus seven hours of graduate
1200-hour Dietetic Internship
I completed my dietetic internship through Wellness Workdays in Hingham, MA. I completed all of the standard rotations (Hospital, Long Term Care, Community, Food Service). My community rotation was completed with Dr. Gonzalez at Urban Health. One of the highlights of my internship was a rotation at the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine in New Orleans, LA.
Passage of the Board Exam
You betcha! It was a grueling exam but I passed the first time.
Pay the Fees!
There are always fees, sigh! Paid the fees. Got the registration card.
Once all of the above is completed then the RDN designation can be used. This means that the person is “eligible” to practice anywhere in the US, but there’s more…
What is a Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN)?
Some states, such as Florida require nutritional professionals to also be licensed. Since we have so many seniors in Florida the state wants to ensure that the public is protected. The state verifies all credentials, requires thirty hours of continuing education (every 2 years) and monitors for disciplinary action. The Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Council is under the supervision of the Board of Medicine. The nutrition license must be renewed every two years.
I have both the RDN and LDN credentials. Whahoo!
Services
Initial Nutrition Assessment– 75min/$115
Nutrition assessment including review of medical history, biometric data, lab results, medications, current dietary and supplement intake. Nutr
Nutrition Counseling Follow-up Session
20 minute Follow-up $50
Stay on track by booking regular follow-up consultations. Book as needed to review/modify goals or for changes in health status or lab results. Consider making an annual nutrition assessment part of your wellness plan.
Other Services
Whole Body Composition Scans, Integrated Medically Supervised Weight Loss
Insurance
Medicare allows Registered Dietitians to perform the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV). This is a covered service. If you are a patient of Urban Health you can book this appointment with me. More about this visit in a future post.
Insurance will typically cover Medical Nutritional Therapy (MNT) for patients with Diabetes or Chronic Kidney Disease (stage 3,4, 5-nondialysis).
I am credentialed with Medicare as well as Cigna, United Healthcare and Aetna. To learn more about utilizing your Medicare nutritional benefit read my article, Does Medicare Cover a Nutritionist? or visit my webpage dedicated to Medicare & Nutrition- The Medicare Nutritionist.
Commercial insurances tend to cover more conditions and offer more visits. Most Cigna plans in Florida will allow for three visits without a referral. Aetna and United Healthcare plans only cover medically necessary services. Even if your plan doesn’t require a referral I will need one in order to process the claim so that I can include the appropriate diagnosis codes.
Please email me if you have questions.
Contact
Urban Health
265 W Hwy 50
Clermont, Florida 34711
352-394-5535
[email protected]
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