Why Eating Disorder Nutritionist Searches Increase Before Spring
Warmer weather means spring cleaning, refreshing, and swapping out your coats and sweaters in the closet. This can trigger a resurgence of body awareness and dissatisfaction, as we try on clothes, replace what no longer fits, and maybe prepare for upcoming vacations. As spring comes around, diet culture applies pressure to start to “get ready for summer” by increasing rigorous exercise and decreasing intake. This call to action leads to feelings of urgency to fix food and/or body image very quickly. You may feel pushed even further into dieting and disordered eating, as this idea promotes that the timer has started and you are already behind. Creating fear and emotional pressure in this way leads to fast, “quick fix” decisions rather than informed and sustainable changes. If any of the above sounds familiar, an eating disorder nutritionist can support you.
What an Eating Disorder Nutritionist in NYC Actually Treats
Eating Disorder Nutritionists in NYC treat the full spectrum of eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, OSFED, and ARFID. We see clients at all stages of their recovery journey, addressing things like chronic dieting, general restriction, fear foods and the use of food to cope. We are equipped to navigate where anxiety, trauma, and other life experiences connect with disordered eating. Eating Disorder Nutritionists help you free up brain space that is taken over by body image distress and interfering with daily life. We also act as support in transitioning from a higher level of care back to your life.
Why Specialization Matters When Choosing a Dietitian
Specialization is crucial when it comes to finding the right dietitian for you and your needs. While all dietitians typically receive similar baseline education, specialization and continued education may look completely different. An eating disorder specialized dietitian has the necessary knowledge and background to approach things from a compassionate and informed way. Being trained specifically in eating disorders gives crucial context and insight into behaviors that may be missed by a traditional dietitian. Recommendations and nutrient needs must be tailored specifically to the individual and their co-occurring diagnoses. Ensuring your provider specializes in eating disorders leads to improved outcomes and a safer, more thorough, and compassionate approach.
Virtual vs. In-Person Eating Disorder Dietitians
At Nourishing NY, our eating disorder nutritionists have the flexibility to see clients both in-person and virtually. Benefits of in-person care include medical monitoring, structure, and face to face connection. Virtual care allows for more flexibility, comfort and increased access. Someone who may benefit more from in-person services are those who need more accountability, medical monitoring, or just connect better when face to face with their providers. This also comes in handy for those who do not have a private space to conduct calls from and prefer to have a designated space and office to go to. Virtually, our RDs can see clients in any of the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
Using Insurance for Nutrition Counseling in NYC
Insurance coverage for nutrition therapy will depend on your specific insurance company and plan. Some insurance companies cover anywhere from 26 sessions to unlimited sessions. You may have a copay or even have 100% coverage with no cost to you.
Here are a few types of nutrition services that may be covered:
- Preventive care: Nutrition counseling to promote holistic health and prevention of illness. If there is a family history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, insurance companies may cover medical nutrition therapy services.
- Medical nutrition therapy: MNT is evidence-based treatment provided by Registered Dietitians to prevent, manage, and treat medical diagnoses such as diabetes, heart disease, GI disorders, PCOS, and several others. MNT involves a thorough nutrition assessment, nutrition counseling, and nutrition goal setting to support the client in treatment of their diagnoses.
- Eating disorder treatment: Eating disorder treatment is most effective when there is a full team in place, including a Registered Dietitian. To support continued recovery, insurance companies will often cover nutrition counseling for eating disorders.
Prior to starting with a dietitian, you may call your insurance company using the number on the back of your insurance card to ask about medical nutrition therapy, preventative services, or Registered Dietitian coverage. The following codes are commonly used in billing for nutrition counseling:
- F50.9: Eating disorder (i.e. Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, ARFID, Binge Eating Disorder)
- Z71.3: Dietary counseling and surveillance
- Z72.4: Inappropriate diet and eating habits
- R73.03: Pre-diabetes
- E11.9: Diabetes
- E78.00: High cholesterol
- E28.2: PCOS
- Z82.49: Family history of heart disease
- Z83.3: Family history of diabetes
At Nourishing NY, we are in network with Aetna, Cigna, BCBS, UHC, Healthfirst and some Medicaid policies. We are out of network with Fidelis, Molina Medicaid, CDPHP, Magnacare, and NY State Medicaid. If your insurance is out of network (OON), you may be eligible to receive out-of-network reimbursement. This means your insurance company will pay you for healthcare services received from an OON provider. You will have to pay the full fee out-of-pocket and then your insurance company will send you a reimbursement check. Depending on the plan, it may be a partial reimbursement (usually a percentage). You may ask your provider if they offer superbills, which you can submit to your insurance company.
Verifying coverage of care is crucial for establishing long term consistency of care that is effective and affordable.
Questions to Ask Before Booking a Dietitian in NYC
When getting started with a eating disorder nutritionist in NYC, there are a few questions you may prepare to ask to ensure this is the right fit for you. It is important to do your research to find what is best for your needs. Here are some to start with:
- What experience do you have treating eating disorders?
- How do you approach weight and body image?
- Do you collaborate with therapists or doctors?
- What does a typical session look like?
- How long do clients usually work with you?