STEP 1
Review the Q & A’s
Have Health Net insurance? Check your benefits!
STEP 2
Complete the new client application form.
STEP 3
You’ll hear from a team member shortly!
Reminder: if you have Health Net and have not checked your benefits, do this ASAP!
Step One
Common Questions & Answers
Please read prior to completing the new client application.
How do you handle meal planning?
- We are not dietitians that develop meal plans, hand them to clients and then send them off to follow them.
- Our meal plans are developed through a collaborative process and the type of plan/planning we do will depend on your individual needs and why you’re seeing us.
- Some people do need a lot of structure and we have ways of providing that. Others don’t need plans at all! We pay close attention to ensure that any level of planning we’re doing is supportive and we’ll check in with you often.
- As we set the plan into motion, and are supporting you with it in our follow up visits, this often gives us great insight into next steps, any barriers you might be facing, etc…
- Meal plans are not given with the expectation of “compliance.” In fact we don’t use that word in this practice. We understand many factors impact planning, using a plan, your experience with food, etc… They’re “living documents” that will shift and change as we work together and we will never shame you or be “mad” at you for not using a plan.
- There is also a difference between meal plans and meal planning. We work on the meal planning and prep process with all clients – meaning the basics of keeping a grocery list, selecting basic recipes, grocery shopping, making basic plans for what will be made that week, etc…
What is a nutrition follow up session like?
- Sessions are highly individualized but some examples of what to expect might be…
- Exploring thoughts and judgments around food, amounts of food, food experiences and working on challenging or reframing them.
- Exploring how mood may be impacting intake – for example how anxiety may impact your appetite or how you experience food OR vice versa – how foods may be eliciting anxiety. When you’re ready, we have different ways to help you understand and reduce your anxiety around food.
- Exploring appetite awareness and what your experience is in your thoughts or emotions when you notice hunger or fullness. This is different than eating in response to hunger and fullness which is definitely something we work on with many clients but often we have to do lots of other exploratory work before that.
- Supporting you with things like forming a grocery list, planning meals for the week, fitting food prep into your day.
- We may also ask if you’d like to keep a food journal (unless that’s not supportive for you, which is common). This is to learn about your experiences with food more than writing down every detail of your intake. You may notice us asking you to check in with what is happening in your thoughts, emotions and physical body (when safe) to explore your full food experience. While we don’t provide therapy, we will ask about emotions to give us information and context.
- Some approaches you may have heard of that we use are mindfulness and intuitive eating. Of course, these are tailored to your needs and we use many other techniques and modalities too.
We’re currently adding more Q&A’s to this section. For now, you can find additional q and a’s and insurance information.
Checking Insurance Benefits
We are in-network with Health Net. Please read the following instructions carefully. Depending on your plan and benefits we might be able to schedule you right away or you might need to obtain prior authorization. You may move forward with the application below at anytime. We have support for you if you feel stuck!
If you have a Health Net HMO Plan, follow these steps...
Step 1: If you have not checked your nutrition benefits, here are instructions on how to do that: https://nutritioninstincts.com/faq-san-diego-dietitian/
Please remember to take good notes on the call and record the reference number. Please send that info to info@nutritioninstincts.com when it’s collected. Please note that you are responsible for any amount of your visit that is not covered by your insurance (copay, coinsurance or if they deny coverage completely). Seeing a dietitian who is in-network doesn’t always mean that your plan will cover your visits.
Step 2: Just like any other specialist in your HMO network, you will likely need prior authorization in order to see one of our providers. Please contact your PCP right away and request a prior authorization be sent to your medical group to work with a dietitian at Nutrition Instincts. If you aren’t in the San Diego area, your medical group might not grant approval. It doesn’t hurt to ask though! Especially if there aren’t any dietitians in their local network/group that specialize in what you need care for. They may also be able to connect you with specialists local to you.
– Here is a link for referring providers that will also help them complete the prior authorization form that they will be submitting: https://www.nutritioninstincts.com/refer
Step 3: We are often notified via fax when your prior authorization is approved but sometimes members hear first. If you receive notice in your online medical portal or via mail please let us know as soon as you can so we can get you on the schedule!
Step 4: Don’t hesitate to submit your application below. While it is your responsibility to check your insurance benefits, we do have staff available to support you with the process if needed.
If you have a Health Net PPO plan, follow these steps...
Step 1: If you have not checked your nutrition benefits, here are instructions on how to do that: https://nutritioninstincts.com/faq-san-diego-dietitian/
Please remember to take good notes on the call and record the reference number. Please send that info to info@nutritioninstincts.com when it’s collected. Please note that you are responsible for any amount of your visit that is not covered by your insurance (copay, coinsurance or if they deny coverage completely). Seeing a dietitian who is in-network doesn’t always mean that your plan will cover your visits.
Step 2: The state of CA requires that a referral be kept on file for anyone pursuing medical nutrition therapy. This should be completed by your physician.
Here is a nutrition referral form they can complete and return (it’s ok for them to use their own too). https://www.dropbox.com/s/5egjm1oep12k43r/Referral%20for%20Medical%20Nutrition%20Therapy%20%28MNT%29%202021%20p1.pdf?dl=0
If needed, here is a link for referring providers that will also help them complete the referral form that they will be submitting: https://www.nutritioninstincts.com/refer
Step 3: Don’t hesitate to submit your application below. While it is your responsibility to check your insurance benefits, we do have staff available to support you with the process if needed.
If you’d like like to check your out of network benefits...
We think that’s smart! Especially if you have PPO plan. You can use instructions on this page to check your out of network benefits https://nutritioninstincts.com/faq-san-diego-dietitian/. We will provide you with a superbill each month that includes your diagnosis, visit codes, session dates and payments. You can submit this to your insurance in hopes of getting reimbursed. This is handled between you and your insurance company.
If you’d like to pursue a single case agreement...
We are open to single case agreements when your insurance company and/or medical group are able to provide a detailed agreement, fees and a path for submitting claims. You can initiate this process by calling your insurance company to check benefits and inquire about a single case agreement. If you are looking for care for an eating disorder you might be able to make the case that there are no other providers with the eating disorder specialty in your network. If the company is open to an agreement, please provide us with the front/back of your insurance card, details of your call, a reference number for the call and a number to contact them. Send this information to billing@nutritioninstincts.com (and cc info@nutritioninstincts.com). Nichole, our Billing VA) will follow up with the company to get further details and we will determine if we can agree to the terms.
Step Two
We are currently providing online nutrition therapy sessions. We will resume in-person sessions at our Rancho Bernardo location when we feel it’s safe to do so. Once in-person sessions resume, we will continue to offer virtual sessions for the majority of our sessions as this modality has been a success for our clients!
(619) 797-5838
New Client Application
You’ll be redirected to a page to schedule a 15 min clarity call or your initial assessment after submitting this form.
We are currently accepting new clients and are providing 100% of our services virtually until further notice.
Providing nutrition counseling for clients in Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa, La Jolla, UTC, Del Mar, Encinitas, Carmel Valley, Scripps Ranch, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos, Escondido, San Marcos and beyond! If you are out of the state of CA we can work with you if your state licensure laws allow it. We’re happy to investigate that for you!
