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Nutrition Services Payment & Reimbursement for MNT

Nutrition Services Payment & Reimbursement

Updated June 26th, 2023

Reimbursement

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has a nutrition services coverage and payment team whose work is to assist state affiliate Nutrition Services Payment Specialists (NSPS) in their role to help members navigate the complicated arena of MNT reimbursement.

Reimbursement

• Impacted at the federal level by CMS reimbursement and payment rate cuts/increases, generally negotiated annually.

• Impacted at the federal level by insurance carriers operating in several states or nationwide (e.g., Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealth Group).

• Impacted at the state level by Medicaid, in Massachusetts known as MassHealth.

• Impacted at the state level by insurance carriers operating in the state (e.g., BCBS of MA, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan).

• Impacted by federal and state payment policies from CMS, Medicaid and insurance carriers for private practice dietitians, who must negotiate their rates and/or work with out-of-pocket payors.

To view the Academy’s nutrition services payment and MNT reimbursement information, visit: www.eatright.org/payment

Promoting MNT

• The Academy has released its updated MNTWorks Toolkit, intended to help members reach out to stakeholders to increase access to and payment for Medical Nutrition Therapy.

• RDNs play a vital role in advocating for increased access to and payment for MNT services. This advocacy can take place in multiple settings where patients seek care and with those that determine (and affect) payment for MNT and other nutrition services.

• In this toolkit you will find information specific to a variety of audiences that play a role in shaping both the delivery and coverage for MNT services. For the purposes of this toolkit, stakeholders are defined as anyone who can influence or determine a positive outcome on payment for nutrition services.

• Note that while some of the examples are limited to one target audience, the overall message of the content applies to all target audiences.

To view the Academy’s MNTWorks Tookit, visit: https://www.eatrightpro.org/-/media/files/eatrightpro/career/mnt/mnt-works-toolkit.pdf 

Learning more

Getting started:

• https://www.eatrightpro.org/payment/getting-started/health-insurance-and-other-sources-of-funding

• https://www.eatrightpro.org/payment/getting-started/becoming-a-provider 

Coding and billing:

• https://www.eatrightpro.org/payment/coding-and-billing/billing-resources 

Medicare & MassHealth:

• https://www.eatrightpro.org/payment/medicare/medicare-provider-enrollment

• https://www.mass.gov/masshealth-billing-and-claims

MNT Provider:

• https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/in-practice/mnt-provider 

Telehealth:

• https://www.eatrightma.org/page/telehealth-and-reimbursement-for-mnt

• https://www.eatrightpro.org/practice/practice-resources/telehhttps://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/in-practice/mnt-providerealth 

Reimbursement FAQs

Q. Since there is so much changing with reimbursement, especially with telehealth coverage, how can I find the most up to date information?

A: Given the ongoing changes with legislation and reimbursement coverage, the Academy resources are updated to reflect the most recent information. Also, the publication MNT Provider provides an excellent overview of current payment issues: https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/in-practice/mnt-provider 

Q. Does the Academy have an online reimbursement discussion forum?

A. Academy members can join the Reimbursement and Payment Online Discussion Community of Interest (COI) to dialogue with other members, learn from colleagues and receive reimbursement updates from Academy staff.

In addition to the COI, the Academy convenes the monthly Reimbursement and Payment Affinity Group the fourth Tuesday of each month at 2:00 pm Eastern. This forum-based event brings together staff, policy leaders and members to discuss Academy reimbursement advocacy priorities and strategies, share their experience and determine how they can become involved in advocating. Use this link to join the COI and register for the monthly affinity group.

Contact MAND’s Nutrition Payment Specialist, Ellen Lowre, at elowre@yahoo.com.