Academy President Calls for Action Following CMS Decision
The Academy shares registered dietitians concerns about the news that Medicare will now cover obesity counseling services under the coordination of the primary care provider and without direct payment to registered dietitians. We are disappointed in some aspects of this decision and ask you to channel your energy into productive actions that will maximize our efforts for expanded coverage for nutrition services and recognition of registered dietitians.
Medical Nutrition Therapy is an essential component of comprehensive health care. Individuals with a variety of conditions and illnesses can improve their health and quality of life by receiving medical nutrition therapy. During an MNT intervention, RDs counsel clients on behavioral and lifestyle changes required to impact long-term eating habits and health.
Medical Nutrition Therapy includes:
- Performing a comprehensive nutrition assessment determining the nutrition diagnosis;
- Planning and implementing a nutrition intervention using evidence-based nutrition practice guidelines;
- Monitoring and evaluating an individual’s progress over subsequent visits with the RD.
RDs provide MNT and other nutrition services for a variety of diseases and conditions including:
- Cardiovascular Diseases: hypertension, dyslipidemia, congestive heart failure
- Diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, Gestational
- Disease Prevention: general wellness
- GI Disorders: celiac disease, cirrhosis, Crohn’s disease
- Immunocompromise: food allergy, HIV/AIDS
- Nutritional Support: oral, enteral, parenteral
- Oncology
- Pediatrics: infant/child feeding, failure-to-thrive, inborn errors of metabolism
- Pulmonary Disease: COPD
- Renal Disease: insufficiency, chronic failure, transplantation
- Weight Management: overweight/obesity, bariatric surgery, eating disorders
- Women’s Health: pregnancy, osteoporosis, anemia