Central Oregon RD Meeting

We are pleased to announce that the quarterly meeting of the Central Oregon Dietitians will be held at St. Charles in Bend. Please come for this hour of fun and great discussions! We will be chatting about the article that is detailed below. There is a short podcast with the article that I hope will help to spur some lively conversations. If you have an article or topic that you would like us to discuss at an up coming meeting please send it my way! Please feel free to invite all that would like to join us!

When: January 25th Wednesday at 11:00 am to noon.
Lunch will not be provided, but you are welcome to bring a lunch to the meeting.

Location: We will be in classroom F. Go to the main entrance of the hospital. Take the staircase right before the deli to the second floor. Classroom F is on the right.

The article is titled: The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics National Coverage Determination Formal Request January 2012 (Vol. 112 | No. 1 | Pages 149-176)Erica Gradwell, Prashanthi Rao Raman

Abstract:

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition Services Coverage Team in collaboration with the Policy Initiatives & Advocacy Group developed a request for submission to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand coverage of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for specific diseases as part of the CMS National Coverage Determination (NCD) process. The request was submitted to CMS July 29, 2011. During informal discussions with CMS, the Academy received a request to respond to the proposed NCD decision memos on the topic of intensive behavioral counseling for cardiovascular disease and obesity. The Academy submitted comments to the proposed decision memos during September 2011 using the information found in this document. The Academy continues to pursue expanded coverage for MNT services under the Medicare program.
It takes 9 months to work through the various steps of the CMS NCD process once an organization, institution, or individual submits a request for an NCD. Six months is devoted to CMS assessing the request followed by the posting of a decision memorandum. This leads to a 30-day public comment period. During the final 2 months of the process, CMS reviews any public comments that have been submitted before publishing a final decision memorandum.
This article brings together valuable data from the Academy Evidence Analysis Library related to MNT cost-effectiveness. Academy members are encouraged to use this information in their efforts to expand public and private payer coverage of MNT services, demonstrate the value of a registered dietitian's (RD's) MNT services, increase or justify staffing, create new opportunities for RDs in health care delivery systems (eg, patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations), and advocate with state and federal elected officials and agencies.