RD/PCP: Weight Loss Team?

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Medicare has granted free one on one weight loss counseling to senior citizens, which are 30% obese. Only about 1% of the seniors have took advantage of this benefit. Primary Care Physicians are those that are getting reimbursed for these counseling session but have little to no experience with weight loss counseling. Some dietitians have made it their job to train PCPs to correctly counsel weight loss patients. Although, the amount of reimbursement is low, about $26 for 15 minutes of counseling and PCP would rather use their time for higher reimbursement services. It has been said that not a lot of seniors know about this benefit because it is not advertised, but the reason it is not advertised because most PCP do not want to perform the service. This gives RDs a chance to bring this benefit to their patients that actually want to lose the weight and cannot afford it. Also this is another opportunity for RDs to help train PCP and bridge the gap between the professions and make sure that every client is getting the same information. What do you think about this benefit and how it is so rarely used?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/15/obesity-counseling-benefits-fails-to-entice-seniors-doctors/18914149/

-TD

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