What to Expect: Meeting Your Dietitian

If you have questions about your diet, a registered dietitian can help sort through nutrition information so that you feel knowledgeable and have the tools to improve your health.

Some conditions that dietitians commonly treat are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart failure, overweight, kidney disease, liver disease, eating disorders and digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease.

During your nutrition sessions you'll be able to talk about your eating and activity patterns and share any concerns that you have about your health. The dietitian will answer your questions and determine the evidenced-based information needed to appropriately address your medical condition. The two of you will work together to decide which nutrition and activity goals are most important.

It's anticipated that barriers may exist; however, your dietitian will help you troubleshoot those barriers and will support you in focusing on goals that interest you as well as talk about the expected outcomes. Your dietitian will also review any medical information provided by your doctor prior to the visit and coordinate care with your physician after the visit.

That depends. Several things will help to determine this such as the amount of nutrition information needed to address your reason for making the appointment, the level of support that will help you successfully make the needed changes, the number of visits approved by your insurance company and your level of interest.

Yes, a physician referral is needed and we can help you complete this step.

There are two options for getting a referral:

• Download and print our physician referral form (PDF) and bring to your physician to fill out. Your physician will need to fax the completed form to us.
• Call our office at 619-740-4632, give us your physician's contact information and we will contact your doctor to make arrangements to have the form completed and returned.

Once we have received the completed referral form, we'll call you to set up your appointment.

To learn more, please call us at 619-740-4632 or send us an email.

It's easy. Call our scheduling department at 619-740-4632. Our services are available at four locations. Be sure to have your doctor's contact information and your insurance card handy when making this call. Our program coordinator will let you know if your visit will be covered by insurance and coordinate with your doctor's office to get the referral paperwork.

Aside from our outpatient program, we also offer hospital clinical nutrition services to support your healing and nutrition needs during your hospital stay.

And once you're home, our Home Infusion Services dietitians coordinate with your physicians, home care nurses and caregivers to give you the precise nourishment you need while receiving tube feedings or IV nutrition at home. And if you're working with our Sharp Home Care team, your home care dietitians will work alongside your physicians and other team members to ensure you receive the restorative nutrition you need while healing at home.