Thank you for your interest in Individual Nutrition Counseling! I’m Steph Wagner MS RDN, a bariatric specialized dietitian licensed in Kansas.
Licensure laws require Registered Dietitians in most states to hold a license in the state the patient is in at the time of service.
For this reason, counseling is available for patients in Kansas, Arizona, California, Virginia, and Colorado. Missouri pending.
In-person visits are available in Mission, Kansas. Anyone can have an in-person visit because you’d be in the state of Kansas at the time of the visit.
Not in Kansas or other eligible states? You can work with me inside my Premier Access Membership! I’m very active with my members community.
First step, verify your benefits
Effective November 9th, 2024 I am in-network with Aetna. United, BCBS and Cigna are pending.
Many commercial insurance plans DO cover Medical Nutrition Therapy appointments under preventative care. This includes seeing a Bariatric Dietitian. Below is the information to provide your insurance company when you call.
Call your insurance company
Call your insurance’s customer service number, which can be found on the back of your Policy ID card.
Navigate the automated phone system to reach an advocate, and inform them you are calling for Eligibility and Benefits.
Many insurance advocates are known to give the least information necessary to answer questions. Please ask for clarification or additional questions to understand your policy. MAKE THEM EXPLAIN your nutrition benefits.
Questions to ask:
Do I have nutritional counseling coverage on my insurance plan?
If the insurance company asks for a CPT code (medical service code), please provide the following codes 97802, 97803, and S9470, if not ask for 99401, 99402, 99403, 99404
Follow up by stating that your visits will be billed for preventative care. Otherwise, they may quote you for medical benefits, which are typically NOT covered unless you have a specific diagnosis.
If the representative asks for diagnosis code (ICD 10 code), please use Z71.3 If Z71.3 is not accepted, then provide them with Z72.4, and see if it is covered.
Check to see if there is coverage for the diagnoses listed in your referral. If you are overweight, obese, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, or diabetes, you can ask what your coverage is for these diagnoses as well.
We will code your visit using preventative coding (if applicable) to maximize the number of visits you receive from your insurance carrier. However, if you only have a medical diagnosis (such as diabetes and no CVD risk factor), your insurance may impose a cost-share for your visits as a deductible, co-pay, or co-insurance.
Ask how many visits per year are covered.
Summary:
If you are in Kansas (or other eligible states) and looking for a bariatric dietitian that takes insurance, call the number on your card and get these questions answered:
Do I have coverage for nutrition counseling, when billed under preventative care?
Do I need a referral from my Primary Care Physician to see a Registered Dietitian? (for example, HMO plans) If so you will need a prior authorization or will need to ask your PCP to fax a referral to our office (913-382-7434)
Does my particular plan cover any of my diagnoses?
How many visits per calendar year do I receive?
Do I have a cost-share (co-pay, co-ins, or deductible requirement) for these services?
DISCLAIMER: Patients are responsible for verifying their insurance for nutrition services prior to their visit. By booking an appointment, you have agreed to full financial responsibility of $130 for your visit if your insurance does not cover your nutrition appointment. The fee is due at the time of the visit and charged to the card on file. Please be advised that we have a 24-hour cancellation policy, and there will be a $25.00 fee for canceling visits with less than 24 hours’ notice.
Cash-pay appointments are available if benefits are unavailable, but this does not change the states available for the service.
By booking an appointment, you have agreed to full financial responsibility of $130 for your initial visit if your insurance does not cover your nutrition appointment. We recommend verifying your benefits prior to booking.