Dietitian FAQs.

What happens in my initial consultation:
At your initial appointment, we aim to find out as much as possible about you, including: your physical health including current and past medical conditions, your body composition, any blood test results you have or scans from your doctor, any symptoms you have and your current diet.
We are flexible with whether you would like your weight to be taken – some people find this helpful and others don’t, so just let us know what you feel comfortable with.
We will establish your goals, habits and behaviours in order to formulate a realistic plan.
 
Can you do meal plans?
Yes we can.
We do however prefer to teach you how to make your own meal plans to free you from having to stick to a structured plan that you cannot stick to long term.
If you feel that a meal plan may help you get started we can provide you with a tailored meal plan based on your individual medical conditions, preferences, intolerances, budget, number of people you are cooking for – the list is endless!
Our meal plans get provided to you after your consultation at an additional cost and can be altered as part of our ongoing coaching as you tell us what you liked and didn’t like. We can also direct you to helpful cookbooks for recipe ideas. 
 
Do you have bariatric surgery experience?
Yes we do.
Our dietitian Carly Barlow has experience working in both public and private hospitals, and in clinics helping people at all stages of their bariatric journey.
Carly consults for some of Queensland's busiest bariatric surgeons and is Vice Convenor of the Dietitians Association of Australia Bariatric Interest Group. She is also an Associate Member of ANZMOSS (the Aust New Zealand Metabolic & Obesity Surgery Society). 
 
Can I get a rebate through Medicare or Private Health?
Our dietitians can see you under a Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Plan (formally called an Enhanced Primary care or EPC plan) if you have a referral from your GP. If you have a referral under a CDM for may be eligible for $55.10 off the cost of your appointment. There are limits as to how many appointments you can have so check with your GP on what you are entitled to. These are usually capped at 5 visits per year (including visits to other Allied Health providers such as physiotherapy, podiatry etc).
If you have an eating disorder or think you may have one speak to your GP to find out if you are eligible for an Eating Disorder Plan which may entitle you to up to 20 visits per year with your dietitian.
If you are seeing the dietitian via Telehealth ask your GP for a referral to The Weight Loss Specialist Clinic. Ensure you bring your Medicare card to the first appointment.
You may also be able to claim the cost of your visit with your private health fund. Check with your fund for the amounts you are able to claim.
 
Do I need to have a referral from a doctor?
No you don’t.
You can come and see us with a referral from your doctor if you wish to claim a rebate through Medicare. Alternatively, you can see us privately without a referral and may be able to claim the cost back through your Private Health Fund.
 
Do I need to bring blood test results to my appointment?
If you have any blood test or scan results from your doctor you should bring these to your appointment if you can. A photo of these is fine if you don’t have originals. This will help your dietitian to formulate your personalised recommendations.
 
I’m seeing other doctors and specialists. Will you work with them?
This is completely up to you.
We usually inform your GP (or any other specialists you would like us to inform) of your treatment plan. This would be done with your permission only. If you are seeing us under a care plan from your GP, we will inform them of our recommendations.
 
Will you just give me a standard ‘one sized fits all’ plan or handout?
No!
At The Weight Loss Specialist Clinic, we offer personalised recommendations to help you achieve your goals.
For some people this means a meal plan, for others it means helping them learn how to structure a meal without a plan. We do provide handouts and tools such as monitoring phone apps or food diaries to help our clients but these will be tailored to your needs.
We pride ourselves on offering a ‘health coaching’ service. Whilst we do see people for ‘one off’ appointments, we encourage our clients to utilise us for behaviour change and ongoing accountability rather than us just telling you what to do then sending you off to do this on your own. How often you see us and what tools we give you will depend on YOU – we will do everything we can to ensure you get the tools you need.