Nutrition Therapy Can Be a Cheaper Cure

Registered dietitians often hear from patients referred by their doctors for nutrition therapy who express remorse about canceling their appointments. The reason is that their health care plan does not cover the services of nutrition professionals.

See if this makes any sense to you: a 65-year-old man developed high cholesterol. His physician, aware that his high cholesterol levels would increase his risk toward heart disease, referred him to a registered dietitian or nutrition therapy prior to considering a cholesterol-lowering medication.

The patient’s doctor wrote a prescription for his medical condition--medical nutrition therapy provided by a registered dietitian. Only one problem: the patient was then informed that Medicare does not recognize medical nutrition therapy as a covered benefit. In essence, Medicare paid to diagnose his medical condition yet had no provisions to cover the cost-effective treatment of nutrition therapy.

The patient canceled his appointment. Six months later he returned with even higher cholesterol levels. His physician then started him on a cholesterol-lowering medication for life. This is not an isolated case.

The cost (in 1995) of administering medications (statins) for high cholesterol over eight weeks is $408.16 while nutrition therapy is $165 (three sessions at 144 minutes with a registered dietitian). The cost savings per patient over eight weeks is $243.16. This was the finding of a scientific study conducted by UC Irvine/V.A. Medical Center.

This study examined the medical records of 74 patients (average age 61) with high cholesterol levels. Our findings confirm that three individualized nutrition therapy sessions over eight weeks with a registered dietitian obviated cholesterol medication requirements in 51% (34 out of 67) of patients with high cholesterol. These findings were published in the September 1996 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Assn. Supplement.

Write to your representative and senators to support “The Medical Nutrition Therapy Act” national legislation. Find out if your health management organization plan provides benefits for medical nutrition therapy when ordered by a physician. Write to your employer to include medical nutrition therapy as a covered benefit when negotiating with your managed care or health insurance providers.