What Dietitians Billing Medicare Need to Know about Obesity Coverage
Dietitians often face the challenge of navigating the complexities of billing and insurance, especially when it comes to Medicare. One frequently asked question is what dietitians billing Medicare need to know about obesity treatment. Understanding the specifics of Medicare’s coverage for obesity counseling is essential for dietitians. The good news is Medicare provides coverage, the bad news is dietitians in private practice are NOT eligible to provide these services.
Who can Bill for Obesity
Medicare Part B covers intensive behavioral therapy (IBT) for obesity, which includes dietary counseling. This benefit is available for beneficiaries with a BMI of 30 or higher. However, to bill Medicare for obesity counseling, dietitians must ensure that their services are provided in a primary care setting and are consistent with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. This coverage includes one face-to-face visit every week for the first month, one visit every other week for months 2-6, and one visit a month for months 7-12, contingent on the patient achieving a weight loss of at least 3kg (6.6 lbs) during the first six months. Understanding these details is crucial for dietitians billing Medicare.
To learn more about the IBT benefit click HERE.
Dietitians billing Medicare need to be aware that they can’t provide this service in their private practices. Often, the RD calls to verify the Medicare beneficiary’s MNT benefit. It’s unfortunately common for the Medicare rep to tell the RD that Medicare covers obesity. YES, it is covered, but only when billed under the IBT benefit, within a primary care setting, and billed incident to the PCP.
For all dietitians who do better with retaining information in video format, check out my YouTube video highlighting: What Dietitians Billing Medicare Need to Know about Obesity Coverage.
What dietitians billing Medicare need to know about obesity coverage is this: YES. It exists. But NO we can’t currently bill it. Therefore, I encourage dietitians to make a mental note of this key criteria. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is working hard to pass the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act. This bill expands the diagnoses Medicare allows RDs to to bill for.
What can you do?
I encourage you to complete this Action Alert for The Medical Nutrition Therapy Act. It will take you under 1 minute to complete and you can do so HERE.
Also, if you are struggling with Medicare and need more support, then I got YOU!
Click HERE to learn about my Medicare Course which teaches dietitians like you everything you need to know about the Medicare credentialing and billing process.