General FAQs
Find answers to commonly asked questions about seeing a nutritionist or dietitian
Getting started
A registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) is a food and nutrition expert with extensive education and training who can help you use diet and lifestyle changes to support your health. RDNs work with individuals to manage medical conditions, improve health outcomes, and build sustainable eating habits using the best available science.
Nutrition counseling with an RDN is personalized, practical, and focused on long-term health—not quick fixes or fad diets.
Not necessarily. The title registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) is a legally protected credential that requires extensive education, supervised training, and passing a national exam.
To become an RDN, a person must:
> Complete a master’s degree in nutrition or a related field
> Complete 1,000+ hours of supervised practice through accredited programs
> Pass a national registration exam administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration
> Complete ongoing continuing education to maintain registration
In contrast, the title “nutritionist” is not regulated in many states, including New York. This means someone can legally call themselves a nutritionist without formal education, clinical training, or standardized credentials.
When you work with a registered dietitian nutritionist, you can feel confident your care is grounded in science, ethics, and professional standards.
In most cases, you do not need a referral for nutrition counseling.
However, your insurance plan may require us to have documentation, such as a visit note, from your primary care provider before we can submit a claim or provide a superbill for potential out-of-network reimbursement. If this is necessary, we will let you know.
No you don’t. While many clients seek nutrition counseling for conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or digestive concerns, others come to improve energy levels, develop a healthier relationship with food, or better understand nutrition information.
You do not need a diagnosis to work with an RDN. However, some insurance plans—such as Medicare—require a qualifying diagnosis for nutrition counseling to be covered.
Absolutely. At Putnam Personalized Nutrition Care, we focus on sustainable change, not strict diets or completely giving up the foods you enjoy. We focus on changes that fit your preferences, lifestyle, culture, and health goals.
The goal is to help you build eating habits that you can maintain—not follow a plan that feels restrictive or unrealistic.
Appointments & logistics
We are located at 16 Mount Ebo Road South, Suite 15A, Brewster, NY 10509.
We serve clients throughout the Hudson Valley, including Putnam County, Westchester County, and Dutchess County, as well as Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Virtual visits are also available for eligible patients located in New York and Connecticut.
Your first visit will generally last 60–90 minutes, depending on your individual needs and the reason for your visit.
Most of the first session is dedicated to the dietitian reviewing your responses from your intake form, your medical history, medications, laboratory results, eating patterns, lifestyle, activity level, and personal goals. Having a thorough understanding of your history, goals, challenges, and motivations is the foundation of our personalized approach.
You will then be provided with nutrition education tailored to your specific needs, which could include education on weight management, high cholesterol, diabetes, pre-diabetes, kidney disease, digestive issues, women’s health, or preventative nutrition.
You will leave the first visit with a few specific goals to work on based on your desired health outcomes.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutritional counseling. The outcomes of your first and subsequent visits will depend on the health outcomes you hope to achieve. Various interventions and treatment plans may be included.
We appreciate you filling out our intake form prior to your visit, so we can arrive to your visit with a baseline of knowledge and spend more of the visit formulating our next steps.
We are happy to answer administrative or general questions before your appointment. You can contact us using the contact form on our website, or call us at 845-363-0153.
Questions about your nutrition, medical history, eating habits, or specific health concerns are best addressed during your appointment. This allows your dietitian to have the appropriate amount of time and context to provide thoughtful, individualized guidance.
If you have records, laboratory results, food logs, or other information you’d like your dietitian to review before your visit, you can provide them through our secure, HIPAA-compliant portal.
There isn’t one schedule that works for everyone.
The frequency of appointments depends on your health goals, the complexity of your nutrition needs, how you’re progressing, and the number of visits covered by your insurance plan.
Some people may benefit from short visits every 2–3 weeks while others do better with longer visits every month or every several months. Visits are usually more frequent in the beginning. As you become more comfortable with your plan and move closer to your goals, appointments may become less frequent.
If your insurance plan provides a limited number of nutrition visits each year, we’ll work with you to use those visits as effectively as possible.
Our goal is to collaborate on a treatment plan that supports your health.
Most people benefit from follow-up visits. Follow-up visits give you the opportunity to put your nutrition plan into practice, address challenges, and adjust your goals as needed.
People working on behavior change or chronic disease reversal typically have multiple follow-up visits. However, someone who comes for general education on a particular topic, such as questions about eating for general wellness, would likely only need 1-2 visits.
Your dietitian will recommend a follow-up schedule based on your individual needs, goals, and progress.
Yes. Whether you come in-person to our office at 16 Mount Ebo Road South in Brewster, NY, or have a telehealth visit is up to you and your preference. Some people prefer to start with an in-person appointment and transition to telehealth for future appointments.
Please note that when checking your insurance benefits you should ensure that telehealth is covered. See our Insurance FAQ for questions to ask when checking your benefits.
We understand that plans can change. You can cancel or reschedule your appointment through our booking system, the patient portal, or by calling 845-363-0153.
Please note that at least 24 hours’ notice is required to cancel or reschedule an appointment. Changes made less than 24 hours before your scheduled appointment may be charged the full appointment fee. Missed appointments (no-shows) may also be charged the full appointment fee.
We understand that emergencies and unexpected circumstances happen. If something outside of your control prevents you from keeping your appointment, please contact us as soon as possible so we can discuss the situation.
We know intake paperwork can feel like a lot, but it serves an important purpose.
Your intake form provides your dietitian with essential information that may affect your nutrition care and allows us to spend more of your initial appointment focusing on you rather than gathering basic information. Some forms are also required for consent, privacy, and other administrative purposes.
Please make sure all required forms are completed before your appointment. If required paperwork is not completed before your appointment, your appointment will need to be rescheduled or canceled.
Insurance & payment
We are in-network with several insurance plans, and some plans cover nutrition counseling at little to no cost. If you have a deductible, copay, or coinsurance, your cost will depend on your specific plan.
If we are not in-network with your insurance, we offer self-pay options or can provide you with a superbill you can submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Many clients receive partial reimbursement after submitting a superbill to their insurance company.
For more about the cost of visits, see the Insurance FAQs page.
Yes. To see the answers to more questions about using insurance for your visit, including which insurances we are in-network with, please review our dedicated Insurance FAQ.
We accept most major credit cards, HSA/FSA cards, checks, and direct bank debit payments. After your appointment, we will bill you for any balance due, including applicable copays, coinsurance, deductibles, or self-pay fees. Payment instructions will be provided with your bill.
Having a credit card on file for every patient is part of our standard office policy.
Your insurance will be billed when applicable, and you will only be responsible for amounts that are determined to be your responsibility, such as a copay, coinsurance, deductible, or applicable cancellation/no-show fee.
A card may also be charged if you cancel without the required notice or do not attend your scheduled appointment. We know your time is valuable, and your dietitian’s time is valuable, too.
Maintaining a card on file allows us to protect scheduled appointment time while applying the same policy consistently to all patients.
We understand that some people may not be comfortable providing a card.
However, because maintaining a payment method on file is part of our office policy, we are unable to schedule or maintain an appointment without one. If you don’t maintain a credit card on file we will cancel your appointment.
See here for a list of questions to ask when calling your insurance company. Please note it is your responsibility to call your insurance company PRIOR to your visit to confirm your coverage. We want you to understand your benefits and avoid any surprise bills.
Services
Not necessarily—and that’s intentional. Our goal is to help you develop skills and strategies that you can use in your everyday life rather than simply following a prescribed menu (plus most people don’t follow them). If you or your dietitian feel a meal plan would be helpful, your dietitian may show you how to easily have AI create one that is free and personalized to your food preferences, cooking ability, nutrient needs, and eating schedule. Even though we generally do not provide meal plans, you will leave each visit with a plan on how to move forward in your nutrition journey.
With that being said, we understand you may still want a customized meal plan made by a dietitian. If that is the case, we can work with you on this. However, a separate fee will apply which will not be covered by insurance. You can speak with your dietitian during your session if you would like to add this service.
Our practice does not currently provide nutrition services for pediatric patients. We see adults only.
We provide individualized nutrition counseling to adults for a variety of health conditions and goals, including weight management, diabetes, heart health, kidney and liver disease, digestive concerns such as IBS and GERD, women’s health, and chronic disease management. If you’re not sure whether nutrition counseling is right for you, feel free to reach out—we’re happy to discuss how we may be able to help.
Yes. Our practice does not currently provide nutrition services for pediatric patients, eating disorders or disordered eating, or enteral or parenteral nutrition. We also do not provide specialized treatment for conditions such as SIBO or intestinal parasites. We don’t offer stool testing, hormone testing, GI-mapping, or food allergy testing.
Our practice focuses on nutrition counseling within our areas of training and expertise. If your needs fall outside our scope of practice, we’ll let you know and, when possible, help connect you with an appropriate specialist.
Yes. Weight can be one part of the conversation, but it doesn’t have to be the only measure of success. We can focus on improving nutrition, blood sugar, energy, heart health, strength, eating habits, and your relationship with food, depending on your goals. Our approach is individualized and focused on helping you feel and function better—not simply reaching a number on the scale.
Privacy & patient information
Your privacy is important to us. Putnam Personalized Nutrition Care follows applicable HIPAA requirements and takes reasonable steps to protect your personal and health information. We use secure systems and procedures designed to safeguard your information and maintain confidentiality.
Before your first appointment, you’ll complete a few forms that provide information about your health history, medications, nutrition concerns, and goals. You may also be asked to provide insurance information and relevant medical records or laboratory results.
All of your forms and uploads will be submitted through our secure, HIPPA-compliant, encrypted electronic medical records system to help ensure the security of your information.
Still have a question?
If you have any other queries, feel free to reach out to us.