Did you know that many health insurance companies cover nutrition counseling? Even if you don’t have a diagnosis but desire to see a dietitian for nutrition counseling, related to prevention of a disease, the visit may be covered.
Insurance Check List
First check to see if your health insurance company will cover the visits. You can do this by calling the 800 number located on the back of your card. Then follow the steps listed below:
- Ask if your plan covers medical nutrition therapy and/ or preventative benefits.
- The insurance company will likely ask for a CPT code. Please provide them with the following codes: 97802 & 97803. Try using 99401, 99402, 99403, and 99404 if those codes don’t work.
- When asked for a diagnosis code use the following ICD-10 code: Z71.3
- Try using the ICD-10 code: Z72.4 if Z71.3 doesn’t work.
- If you are underweight, overweight, obese, have pre-diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol you may want to see what your coverage is for these diagnoses as well.
- I always try to code the visit using preventative codes to maximize the number of visits, if possible.
- Ask how many visits you get per calendar year. (The number of visits will vary depending upon your plan and medical necessity.)
- Ask if a co-pay, cost-share, or deductible applies to the visit.
If you choose to use your health insurance plan it’s your responsibility to understand how your plan works.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I have a co-pay, cost-share or deductible?
If a deductible is applicable before benefits kick in you are responsible for paying for all visits. Once you reach the deductible I will submit the claim for coverage.
A cost-share such as 80/20 or 90/10 might be applicable after the deductible. This depends on the individual plan.
I am a specialist. Check your insurance card to see if a specialist co-pay applies. I collect co-payments within 30 days of receiving an estimation of benefits.
What insurance plans does Brittany at Brake Nutrition participate with?
I accept Aetna, Cigna, Medicare, United Health Care, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. You can also pay using a health savings account with a letter of medical necessity.
What happens if you do not participate with my insurance plan?
If I am out of network you need to pay upfront for your counseling sessions. A super bill or itemized invoice can be provided if needed.
Please note, Brittany can’t submit claims for out of network plans. It is your responsibility to obtain the required documentation and submit it to your health insurance company.
Please call your insurance company to find out how reimbursement works. Not all plans allow reimbursement for out of network providers.
An initial session is $150 and a follow up is $75. Consider booking a package to receive a discount. Brittany also accepts HSA, cash, and credit cards.