Medical Nutrition Therapy

How often is it covered?

Medicare covers medical nutrition therapy services prescribed by a doctor for people with diabetes or kidney disease. This benefit includes:

An initial assessment of nutrition and lifestyle assessment
Nutrition counseling
Information regarding managing lifestyle factors that affect diet
Follow-up visits to monitor progress managing diet

Medicare covers 3 hours of one-on-one counseling services the first year, and 2 hours each year after that. If your condition, treatment, or diagnosis changes, you may be able to get more hours of treatment with a doctor’s referral. A doctor must prescribe these services and renew their referral yearly if you need treatment into another calendar year. These services can be given by a registered dietitian or Medicare-approved nutrition professional.

Who’s eligible?

Medicare may cover medical nutrition therapy and certain related services if you have diabetes or kidney disease, or you had a kidney transplant in the last 3 years, and your doctor refers you for the service.