6 months of supervised weight management

[Guest guest]

In our program, we were told that it does not have to be done by the PCP,

but a healthcare provider (including an RD) may do it. We have 6 months of

1-hour classes. At each class, there is emphasis on nutrition and physical

activity, and the class presenter signs off on a brief note for each

participant. The office staff has informed me that, if the insurance denies

the patient's request, it is not for reasons pertaining to the 6-month

program.

Shoemaker, MS, RD, LD/N

[Guest guest]

Our program is in Southern California and we have found that all insurance companies are different. In the policies provided by insurance companies, all have stated that it must be a PHYSICIAN DIRECTED MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM. Specifically, Cigna has stated that attending classes once a month discussing nutrition and exercise, "does not appear to constitute a supervised diet program in that only the weight is taken and a lecture was presented.” “There is no individual accounting of dietary intake, exercise being performed or personal behavioral changes being made." (This was taken directly from a patient's denial letter.) I have attached the policies that the insurance companies have demanded upon patients. We provide this to our patients

at the community lecture they attend to inform them of any requirements prior to surgery. Again, this is for our patients living in California. Hope this helps. Kathleen .D.Letendre@... wrote: --- You wrote:Please share! I am in the same situation and I definitely want to make sureI am covering all that is required for insurances so these individualsaren't denied because of something I did or didn't do over the course of the6 month supervision. What do you require from the patients as far asdocumentation for the 6 months?

Thanks!Amy Cartwright, RD, LDN--- end of quote ---We are not involved with the 6 months of supervised dieting but I would check with the insurance companies before you go to far. I was under the impression that insurance would not count the 6 months of dieting if it was part of the bariatric program - conflict of interest. Also, I thought the 6 months of dieting needed to be done by the PCP. Again, we don't do much with this but I would check with the insurance companies before getting too involved.-

Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.