Frequently Asked Questions

  • In the first session, your dietitian will expand on the information we have about you and complete a full assessment of your medical background and lifestyle. This will help identify what specific challenges you face and design a custom solution to them. This assessment usually takes about 40 of the 60 minutes, but for self-pay patients, we reduce this assessment to make sure you walk away with some new, useful information from day one. All follow-up sessions are up to 60 minutes of making your intake easier, more effective, or more enjoyable.

  • Bring any lab values you have available.

    For follow-up sessions, you likely will have a recommended method of tracking your intake so we can fully assess the week. Bring this along as well. If you forget to bring this, there is still plenty we can help with though!

    Beyond this, if you feel something would be useful to bring - a new food product you want assessed, an article you read, a recipe you want tailored - feel free to bring it along!

  • We do recommend having a script from your doctor. This is a paper from your physician saying they believe nutrition counseling is medically necessary, and they may also write down conditions that they want managed through a dietitian.

    To get a script, simply call your doctor and inform them you want to receive nutritional counseling and would like a script for the service. Ask them to add relevant diagnoses such as obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc.

    These can be faxed directly to us at 331-251-2562.

    If you have any issues or concerns, contact us and we can help!

  • We only provide telehealth sessions at this time. We have no plans in the immediate future to change this.

  • All nutrition counseling services are for ages 18 and older at this time. This may change in the future, but we are working on other projects first to provide the best service we possibly can to the patients we see.

  • We strive to select higher-end dietitians, who have years of experience in one-on-one 60 minute counseling sessions to mitigate obesity and medical conditions. Every dietitian in Next Step is aiming to be board certified in the future - a goal Next Step is actively supporting every step of that process.

    Since we believe application is as important as knowledge, we also seek out individuals who have a love for food. This means they demonstrate ability to cook anything from beginner to exotic options, and they can practice these recommendations in their daily life. Many of us have faced our own health difficulties and have improved our status through food.

  • We do not provide exercise recommendations, but we work in conjunction with MZJ Fitness, who provides what we cannot.

    They provide specific exercise-based accountability programs that will help you get on track with your workouts, water, and sleep from a distance.

    If you are seeking assistance, we highly recommend checking them out!

General Questions

  • Our style tends to be eclectic and flexible, so the style you experience depends on what you and your clinician believes will help the most. Common approaches include: scientific, mindful, supportive, understanding, and team oriented.

    If you are a numbers person, we can provide metrics behind our recommendations. If you dislike a focus on numbers, we can work plenty well without you being conscious of them.

    Styles we will not use are: shame, judgement, acting like your parent, or being accusative when you utilize lower quality options. As soon as you realize you don’t have to come back, all of those methods immediately stop working. We are on your team, and together, we can accomplish anything we need to.

  • We do not have any premade meal plans to give out. We can, however, design one together if you feel require a specific plan to follow. While most individuals think this is the golden standard, they are not as effective as people believe. They usually are followed for maybe two weeks before being shelved.

    Instead, we look at what you normally eat, educate on issues within your intake, and provide direct adjustments or food options to meet your goals. This makes your intake expansive instead of restrictive. You show us what you would like, and we will work on showing you how to make that work for you.

  • It changes per person. We generally follow a balanced approach, which allows the widest variety of foods possible. We will adjust those options for all patients to lower risk of diseases such diabetes, heart complications, kidney damage, colorectal cancer, and deficiencies. We also adjust the plan based on your culture, preferences, schedule, and exercise volume/intensity/style.

  • Nothing. The more you hear something is off limits, the harder it will be to avoid it. We may recommend methods to reduce the volume or substitutions of higher quality, but the idea of giving up a food you enjoy designs a pass/fail goal that will one day make you feel like a failure for eating. We are not a fan of that idea.

  • Every person has their own unique progression, which affects what is taught. If you and your friend start the exact same day, you both will likely have vastly different education and options recommended. We also like to tackle what you are struggling with, so you have just as much a say in what to fix as we do.

  • We usually recommend meeting on a weekly basis - especially early on in this process. If your schedule or financial capacity does not allow this, we work with you to find an option that best suits your needs. The best results will be achieved the fastest when we can see you on a weekly basis.

Session Questions

  • Every patient is required to have a credit card on file for use in copays, coinsurance, or late cancellation charges.

  • It does vary per plan, but it’s usually covered very well! Many plans cover 100% of the cost while others make you pay your specialist copay. We check your insurance and recommend you do the same to verify what your specific plan will allow.

  • Yes, we do, but we will need a backup card on file in the event there are insufficient funds on the FSA/HSA card. Both of these are input through the credit card information form and are added directly to our medical record. Make sure to have your FSA/HSA card as your primary card on file!

  • Self-pay patients are charged same day using their card on file.

    Copays and Coinsurance charges happen after insurance pays your claim which can be 1-3 weeks after. These may also be run in bulk on a monthly basis instead of week-to-week. You can see billing status and statements in your client portal.

  • Prompt pay discount is for self pay patients who are paying for their visit immediately. Since there is no claim that we are waiting on, we discount the price as a thank you for the simplicity. This discount is automatically applied when you have an active credit card on file.

  • We are against forming any relationship with any food or supplement brand due to the conflict of interest it creates. It is a fireable offense for any Next Step worker to form any food or supplement brand affiliation in which the clinician receives any form of compensation.

    We only recommend options based on the merits the product provides. We are not opposed to being sent samples of new products to stay abreast of new food options, but we intend to be brutally honest about them to the vendor and patients alike. We will not accept large quantities of samples.

    We will never sell supplements. We also recommend food first before any supplements. If we cannot provide adequate nutrient content through foods, then we consider supplementation.

  • We require a 24-hour notice via phone, email, or the self-scheduling tool in the client portal prior to your session. If you cancel within those 24 hours, a fine of $80 may be charged to your card on file.

    During the intake forms, you will have the ability to set reminders by email, phone, or automated call. These are usually sent 36 hours before your session allowing you 12 hours to cancel without any issue.

Financial Questions

Referring Physician FAQ

  • Next Step provides higher wages and benefits than anywhere else, allowing us to choose the premier dietitians of the area.

    We desire a comprehensive mastery of nutrition knowledge, a love for multicultural food preparation, and a demonstrated veterancy of counseling experience to put it all together.

    Through these ends, Next Step funds continuing education opportunities, a significant financial bonus per patient to each dietitian who is board certified, and pays for mandatory cooking classes to be completed each year to promote this knowledge and application we seek.

    Since our goal is to provide a consistent service not easily found elsewhere, we recognize that investing in our own dietitians is the same as marketing.

    A good dietitian knows what to do; a great dietitian makes it easy.

  • Simply complete our online referral form or fax your referral directly to (331) 251-2562.

    If there is any difficulty, feel free to call us at (708) 232-3484 and we will sort out a method that works for both of us.

  • We have business cards that can be provided upon request.

    We additionally have a digital referral pad that can be completed, or we have referral pads that we can drop off for your convenience. Reach out to Steve@NextstepRD and let us know where we should drop these off.

  • We always encourage communication regarding mutual patients to provide one professional opinion to instead of two potentially conflicting ones. Once the patient(s) sign PHI disclosure requests, we can setup either individual or regular video-based meetings to discuss progress, concerns, accomplishments, and challenges.

    Let us know what would fit your needs.

  • We accept Blue Cross Blue shield, Aetna, United Healthcare, and Medicare. We do not accept HMO.

    Most insurances cover nutrition counseling with no or minimal copay for the patient.

  • We are able to see them within 48 hours if they are responsive to our contact and intake forms.