Frequently asked questions

Coverage for medical nutrition therapy depends on your plan — insurance companies may or may not cover it. Call the toll-free number on the back of your insurance card to confirm coverage, including the number of office visits covered per calendar year, before your first appointment.

Only if your insurance plan requires one. If it does, call your primary care physician and have them submit the referral for you before your visit — the referral needs to be in place ahead of the appointment.

If your plan lists one, yes. Your copay should be listed on your insurance ID card, and your insurance requires the office to collect that copay for any visit when you are seeing a Registered Dietitian.

Yes. Once your coverage has been confirmed, the Nutrition Balance office submits the necessary insurance forms for you.

If your insurance provider is not an approved carrier, payment is due at the time services are rendered. If making payment at the time of the visit is difficult, payment arrangements can be made at your initial consultation. Credit cards, checks, and cash are accepted.

The initial one-on-one session runs 1 to 1½ hours. Private consultations are available for individuals and families, and the first session covers your health and nutrition history, goal setting, and meal planning.

The first visit at Nutrition Balance is a comprehensive nutritional assessment to determine the appropriate intervention. Your medical history, current medical status, physical activity, food intake and preferences, lifestyle factors, and lab results are reviewed and analyzed, with recommendations provided accordingly.

Follow-up consultations are typically scheduled two to three weeks from the initial visit. Each follow-up provides continual support through further education, advice, motivation, and ongoing evaluations — available as individual sessions or packages that reinforce dietary modifications.

Yes — telehealth or in-person appointments are available. In-person visits take place at the Nutrition Balance office at 10 Dale Street in West Hartford Center, Connecticut.

Individual appointments are scheduled in advance. If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please notify the office at least 24 hours in advance.

Yes. All information disclosed within sessions is confidential, as written in the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.

Nutrition Balance uses an Authorization for Release of Information, food-intake records — the 3-Day Record, Food Frequency Journal, and 24-Hour Recall — and a Physicians Dietitian Referral Form for your doctor. These can be downloaded from the Forms & Policies page; the office will let you know if any additional paperwork is needed for your first visit.

The initials “RD” after someone’s name mean “registered dietitian.” To earn the RD credential, an individual must complete at least four years of education in nutrition or a related field from a regionally accredited college or university program approved by the American Dietetic Association, complete an internship program, and pass an extensive examination. To stay current, all RDs must complete at least 75 hours of continuing education every five years.

Medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling at Nutrition Balance cover conditions including diabetes and pre-diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol, gastrointestinal disorders such as acid reflux, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, food allergies and sensitivities, eating disorders, pediatric and autism nutrition, oncology, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, sports nutrition, weight management, and women’s health.

Appointments for individual RMR testing can be scheduled by calling 860-781-WELL (9355). The in-office device measures oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output to calculate your energy expenditure based on your own physiology — accurate results that help improve health and shape a personal fitness strategy.