Insurance, Fees, and Frequently Asked Questions
Mackenzie Blair Nutrition is in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare
Many Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare plans cover nutrition counseling at no cost to you, but it’s your responsibility as the client to verify your benefits.
Mackenzie Blair Nutrition is an out-of-network provider with Cigna, Neighborhood Health, and other major insurance companies. We’re happy to provide super bills for you to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. Many of our clients get reimbursement for out-of-network sessions.
How do I verify my insurance coverage?
To verify that your insurance covers nutrition counseling, call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask the following questions listed below. Be sure to write down answers, along with the reference number, somewhere that you can refer back to later.
For Blue Cross Blue Shield:
- Is Mackenzie Blair Nutrition (NPI number 1649749714) currently an in-network provider for my plan?
- Does my plan cover outpatient nutrition therapy CPT codes 97802 (medical nutrition therapy – assessment), 97803 (medical nutrition therapy – follow up), or S9470 (“nutritional counseling”)?
- Do I have any nutrition counseling visits covered under the preventative care portion of my plan, (ICD-10 code z71.3)? If so, how many?
- Do I have coverage for services provided via telehealth?
- Do I need a physician referral for nutrition counseling?
- Do I have a deductible for “nutritional counseling services?” If so, how much is it and how much has been met so far?
- Is there a copayment for each visit?
- Is there co-insurance for each visit? If so, what is the percentage of coverage?
- How many sessions are covered per year?
- What month does the policy year renew?
- Are there any restrictions and/or limitations to my coverage?
Write down and keep the reference number for your call.
For United Healthcare:
- Is Mackenzie Blair Nutrition in network with my plan?
Mackenzie Blair Nutrition (NPI Number 1649749714) - Does my plan cover outpatient nutrition therapy CPT codes 97802 (medical nutrition therapy – assessment), 97803 (medical nutrition therapy – follow up), or S9470 (“nutritional counseling”)?
- Do I have any nutrition counseling visits covered under the Healthy Diet Counseling benefit? If so, how many? What diagnoses qualify for this benefit?
- Do I have coverage for services provided via telehealth?
- Do I need a physician referral for nutrition counseling?
- Do I have a deductible for “nutritional counseling services?” If so, how much is it and how much has been met so far?
- Is there a copayment for each visit?
- Is there co-insurance for each visit? If so, what is the percentage of coverage?
- How many sessions are covered per year?
- What month does the policy year renew?
- Are there any restrictions and/or limitations to my coverage?
Frequently Asked Questions
The goal of nutrition counseling with a dietitian is to improve your relationship with food and help you feel more confident and less stressed about what you eat. The process looks different from person to person.
If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, nutrition counseling may be about nutrition rehabilitation (making sure you get the nutrients you need) and ending disordered behaviors like restriction, binge eating, and purging. I might give you a flexible meal plan to help you eat adequately and consistently, or might have you keep a journal of your meals and/or your thoughts about food. Through the recovery process, we might work with on overcoming food fears through exposures, challenging harmful beliefs and behaviors, and getting more comfortable with eating an adequate, varied diet.
If you’re working towards intuitive eating, nutrition counseling can help you overcome some of the challenges that come with learning to listen to your body, eat when you’re hungry, and know when you’re satisfied. I may suggest various exercises, resources (like books and podcasts) and journal prompts for you to work through between sessions. You might also do certain exercises in session that help you feel more in touch with your body. I can also help you come up with meal ideas and grocery lists, troubleshoot issues that come up week to week, and answer any general nutrition questions you have.
If you’re managing a nutrition-related health condition and your doctor has recommended nutrition counseling, as a non-diet dietitian, I can help you work towards better health without restricting, dieting, or obsessing about food. In nutrition counseling, we might talk through the things that make it hard for you to eat healthfully and come up with alternative ways to do so. I can answer any questions you have about nutrition for your particular health condition(s).
A non-diet approach to health and nutrition is all about eating in a way that’s nourishing but not restrictive. A non-diet approach is also weight-inclusive, which means that it’s never about weight loss or the number on the scale. We use the principles of Health at Every Size® to guide the nutrition counseling process.
Anti-diet nutrition counseling will help you feel more confident about food and your body. We’ll focus on making sure you’re eating adequately throughout the day and getting a variety of nutrients, but we’ll never label foods as “good” or “bad.” Food is just food — it doesn’t have a moral value, and there’s never any reason to feel guilty for eating one thing or virtuous for eating another. All foods provide some nutrition, and it’s possible to eat in a way that you love while also supporting your health.
The anti-diet approach is not just for eating disorders and disordered eating. The principles of hunger, fullness, satisfaction, variety, and gentle nutrition can be applied to everyone and all health conditions.
Virtual nutrition counseling is available across several states in the US, via a HIPAA-compliant video platform. I’m licensed in Rhode Island currently. I can also see clients virtually in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia.
Yes, virtual telehealth appointments are available to all clients. I use SimplePractice – HIPPA Compliant platform – to conduct telehealth appointments.
We can provide you with super bills upon request. You can then submit these super bills to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. Some insurance companies may require a diagnosis for reimbursement. If this is the case with your insurance company, we’ll communicate with your physician and therapist to get any relevant diagnoses on file — we may need your help with this!
If Mackenzie Blair Nutrition is not an in-network provider with your insurance plan, you are responsible for payment at the time of service. We accept credit cards, debit cards, FSA cards, and HSA cards. When paid the day of service, rates are $150 for an 55-minute initial session, and $100 for a 55-minute follow-up session.
If Mackenzie Blair Nutrition is an in-network provider with your BCBS insurance plan, nutrition counseling may be fully covered by your insurance benefits. Our full rates billed to insurance are $300 for an 75-minute initial session, $240 for a 55-minute initial session and $200 for 55-minute follow-up sessions. Sometimes, you may owe a co-pay or co-insurance for each visit, may have to reach a deductible, or may have a limited number of visits covered per year. Verifying your benefits using the script above will give you some clarity on this.
We require that all clients keep a credit card on file.
If you cancel a session within 24 hours of the session start time, or if you no-show a session, your card on file will be billed $50 cancelation fee. There is no fee for cancelling more than 24 hours in advance, but clients who repeatedly cancel sessions may lose their standing appointment time.
In most cases, you don’t need a referral for nutrition counseling. However, in order to submit claims to your insurance plan or provide you with a superbill for potential out-of-network reimbursement, we might need some information from your primary care provider (or your therapist, if you’ve been diagnosed with an eating disorder) in order to fill out the required documentation. We’ll discuss this with you prior to your initial session if it’s necessary.