Office Policies + Direct Billling Insurance

APPOINTMENT RESERVATION + CANCELLATION POLICY

Your appointment time is reserved just for you. To secure your appointment we require a valid credit card number to hold your appointment.

Your credit card number will be stored in our secure credit card vault hosted by our online system Jane and is heavily encrypted.

You may call our office (204-515-7466) to give us your credit card number, or our office manager will call you to obtain it.

Your appointment is not fully booked in our system until we have a credit card on file.

Your credit card will not be charged until the time of your appointment, and if you choose to use an alternate form of payment you can do so. We accept, cash, cheque, and e-transfer in addition to credit card payments.

A late cancellation or missed visit leaves a hole in the dietitians’ day that could have been filled by another client. As such, we require 48 hours’ notice for any cancellations or changes to your appointment. Clients, who provide less than 48 hours’ notice, or miss their appointment, may be charged a cancellation fee of $75.00.

No show / did not attend appointments will be charged the full appointment fee. No-shows are considered 4 hours or less notice.

All appointments must be canceled via phone at 204-515-7466. We do not accept email cancellations.

INFORMED CONSENT FORM & TERMS FOR NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING

I am hiring the counseling/consulting services of A Little Nutrition Registered Dietitians (RD). The appointment will provide information and guidance about health factors within my own control: my diet, nutrition, and lifestyle in order to nourish and support my health and wellness.

I understand that A Little Nutrition employs Registered Dietitians (not medical physicians) and does not dispense medical advice, nor will they diagnose or treat any medical condition.

I understand nutrition counseling is not a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, or care of disease by a medical provider, but will provide nutritional support and nutrition education for an already diagnosed condition.

Rather, they provide education to enhance my knowledge of health as it relates to foods, dietary supplements, and behaviors associated with eating. While nutritional support can be an important complement to my medical care, I understand these services are not a substitute for medical care.

I understand that A Little Nutrition will keep chart notes as a record of our work together. These notes document the topics that we talk about, interventions used, and treatment plan or any other considerations that may be helpful to your work with me.

Records will be stored in an encrypted online system designated for work. Medical records, personal information, and history divulged in session to the dietitian will be kept strictly confidential unless I consent to share my medical and nutritional information with collaborating practitioners.

Electronic systems used for teleconferencing will incorporate network and software security to protect the confidentiality of the client. I understand the benefits and risks of telemedicine, including, but not limited to, the possibility, despite reasonable efforts on the part of my dietitian, that the transmission of my medical information could be disrupted or distorted by technical failures; the transmission of my medical information could be interrupted by unauthorized persons; and/or the electronic storage of my medical information could be accessed by unauthorized persons.

In order to benefit from nutrition counseling, I realize that it is important for me to inform my physician or A Little Nutrition of any changes I make in the application of my diet. It is my responsibility to report any side effects or problems immediately and to make the necessary adjustments to my treatment plan with my physician and/ or A Little Nutrition. I will not hold A Little Nutrition responsible for any complications that result from my failure to comply with either of the above.

I agree to hold A Little Nutrition & its staff harmless for claims or damages in connection with our work together. This is a contract between myself and A Little Nutrition and I understand that it is also a release of potential liability.

ENDURING ACCESS – Code of practice on responding to requests for personal information

Patients have the right to see their files. The patient must discuss with their healthcare provider their intentions for seeing their file, and also make a formal request in writing. It will take up to two weeks to review and prepare their time to view their file and will be supervised by management. To cover the costs of time and supplies, a minimal charge for files will be made.

A Little Nutrition will not provide access to your file or segments of your file if doing so would be detrimental to your well-being. This will be done as a discussion with the patient, explaining why we think this is so, and a conclusion will be made.

A Little Nutrition – Medical Insurance Billing Service and Policy

Increasing access to dietitian services is our passion. Therefore, we are pleased to offer a Direct Billing Program at A Little Nutrition. Direct billing medical insurance plans is a courtesy we offer our clients, and is not a mandatory program. We offer this service free of charge, in order to make your experience more enjoyable.

We will try to directly bill only to those companies that may allow for it and for those policies that will pay the health care provider directly.

PLEASE NOTE: Everyone’s medical insurance policy is different. In some cases, your insurance provider may not allow the clinic to be paid directly or assignment of benefits. In this case, you will be asked to pay for your session in full. We will issue you a receipt for you to submit your claim to your insurance provider. You will then receive reimbursement directly from your insurance company.

How does the Direct Billing Program work?

Fill out your form here, and we will let you know if we can direct bill your appointment.

Clients are responsible for knowing their coverage details, understanding their benefits, and keeping track of their usage from their insurance company.

Before your visit, please call your insurance company and ask:

For nutrition help: Is a registered dietitian for nutrition counseling covered?
For therapy or counseling help: Are registered social workers covered for counseling/therapy?
Do I need a physician referral or prior authorization? (usually for Blue Cross & Claim Secure)
What is the yearly plan coverage amount?
Is there a co-pay amount (Ex. They pay 80% you pay 20%)
Do I have a deductible to meet before insurance pays?

Insurance company phone numbers:

Manitoba Blue Cross: 204-775-0151
Canada Life: 1-800-957-9777
Green Shield/SSQ: 1-888-711-1119
Chambers: 1-800-665-3365
Maximum Benefit: 1-800-893-7587
Claim Secure: 1-888-513-4464
Medavie (National Blue Cross): 1-888-873-9200 OR 204-775-9261
Sirius Benefits: (204) 488-7600
Peoples Corp: (204) 940-3900

***Manitoba Blue Cross: Requires a medical illness or health condition to be present for coverage (even if your plan doesn’t require a referral).

These insurance companies have dietitian/therapy coverage but do not allow for direct billing: Sunlife, Manulife, Desjardins, and Equitable Life.

If your plan requires a physician’s referral we need it submitted in advance to direct bill. If you don’t have a referral at the time of your appointment you will have to pay in full for your session. You have 30 days after the appointment to obtain a referral and submit your own claim. You can get a referral easily from a Walmart medical clinic (Kenaston, Taylor, or Lakewood) as a walk-in patient. They can fax it to our office at 1-204-515-7466, as our referral form is set up in their computer system.

If you are covered by your own insurance, as well as a spouse/partner’s plan, the insurance rules are that you **must** claim against your own plan 1st until it’s used up, and then you can claim on the alternate plan.

Finding out these details will help ensure you get the most out of your health insurance benefits and avoid financial surprises!

IMPORTANT: In order for us to be able to direct bill for you we require a Visa or MasterCard number to be held on file.

If we encounter a problem with your billing, we never charge your card automatically. Sometimes the insurance company pays the client instead of our client, loses a claim, or denies a claim.

We first call you and the insurance company to rectify the situation and only charge the card as a last resort, but not before speaking with you – the cardholder. Thanks for your understanding!

Facts about Direct Billing:

Will I need to pay anything?

Some insurance plans do not cover the full amount of our dietitian service fee. If this is the case, you will pay the portion of the nutrition session cost that the insurance company doesn’t pay. For example, if you have coverage for 80% of your $125 visit fee, you will pay $25. Your insurance company will pay the remaining $100 to the clinic. Payment amounts depend on your individual coverage. There may also be a deductible that you have to pay before coverage begins.

Can I use direct billing to prepay for future appointments?

No, we can only direct bill for appointments that already took place.

Why do Insurance companies provide different coverage for their members?

Each plan is individual to the member. Insurance companies can have many different plans. For example, we have seen Blue Cross cover as little as 10% of sessions and up to 100% coverage.

What if my plan covers 100%?

Yay! You won’t have to pay anything! However, we still require to have a credit card on file for our cancellation policy.

Please note: In order for us to be able to direct bill for you we do require a Visa or MasterCard number to be held on file.

What if I have several insurance plans? Can you help coordinate them?

We will only direct bill to one insurance company at a time. For example, if you have 2 Blue Cross plans, then we can coordinate benefits for you. However, if you have a primary plan with Blue Cross and a secondary plan with Great West Life, then unfortunately, we do not offer any coordination of benefits. You will have to submit your receipt for the balance of the nutrition session cost to the other plan provider on your own.

Do I get a receipt if you direct bill me?

You will get a receipt only for the portion that you pay. For example, if you have 100% coverage, you will not get a receipt. If you have 80% coverage, you will get a receipt for the 20% remaining balance that you pay.

Do insurance companies pay for missed appointment charges?

No, insurance companies do not cover missed appointment charges.