Medicare and Medical Nutrition Therapy Essay Example

Medicare and Medical Nutrition Therapy Essay Example Medicare and Medical Nutrition Therapy Paper Medicare and Medical Nutrition Therapy Paper p. 3, 10). A Brief Comparison of the Nutrition Care Process for Nutrition Education and Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) Nutrition Education may be defined as the strengthening of the fundamental or vital nutrition-related information while Medical nutrition therapy is a more detailed application of the whole nutrition care process in any medical setting which centers mainly on the examination and management of ailments. As compared to nutrition education, Medical nutrition therapy involves a deeper assessment of the nutrition level of a certain individual. In nutrition education, interested persons often take the initiative to go to healthy nutrition classes or to consult a physician while in Medical nutrition therapy, the primary care provider sends the dietetics professional or registered dietitians (DTR or RD) written referrals for examinations of kidney related diseases or diabetes. In nutrition education, the dietetics professionals inquire about the person’s concern and any nutritional questions and sometimes they often make the person answer a certain questionnaire prior to setting up an appointment. In MNT the Dietetics professional himself gauges the nutrition level using the MNT Evident-based guidelines and the best available client information such as the medical records and then makes his diagnosis after proper analysis. In nutrition education, dietetics professional gives the client information about nutrition and taking care of the heart and body and relays information as to what he needs to most but in MNT; the good thing is that the dietetics professional himself identifies the client’s needs and sets up goals to be achieved by the client. After setting up the goals and motivating the client, the registered dietitian arranges several visits in order to monitor and check if the client is indeed doing some adjustments in his lifestyle in order to solve his nutritional problems and medical condition (The American Dietetic Association, 2006). Training is essential for a registered dietitian in order to attain a cost-efficient medical nutrition therapy program. Registered dietitians are recommended to attend seminars and special classes in order to hone and enhance their skills. Medical nutrition therapy follows a certain guideline in order to guarantee that the patient is getting the best care and treatment possible. The main purpose of evaluation in medical nutrition therapy is to find out and measure the persons’ need for therapy and to set the boundaries and generate ideas as to how to develop an effective plan that should give the best results on the individual. The medical background and history of an individual is necessary in order to administer the proper care to the individual. Prior operations, medication and maintenance should be investigated because it may affect the outcome of the therapy. A prior history of paralysis for instance, may affect the person’s capacity to eat thereby restricting his mobility and increasing the risk of complications which calls for a good nutrition intake in order to be cured. Some medicinal components may react badly and impede with the absorption of nutrients. Several dietary supplements and vitamins may also cause nutritional imbalance (Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z, 2008). Physical assessment for medical nutritional therapy includes information about the individual like the sex, body mass index, weight and height. Physical feature is also necessary because some nutritional deficiencies manifest in appearances such as iron deficiencies which appears in the hair and nails. Weight history is also important because sudden increase or loss of weight indicates a nutritional dilemma (Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z, 2008). Psychosocial assessment pertains to the profile of the person’s financial status, cultural and ethnical background, educational attainment, career or occupation, mental health and access to proper food source in order to consistently achieve good health. These factors help determine a person’s ability to follow through on his therapies. If a person is living in a house plenty of occupants or has a small income, there is a tendency of limited food access. Some exceptional situations provide for a total change in living environment in order experience development in his nutritional health. For example, a person with amputated legs has been diagnosed with diabetes and is living alone may eat only once or twice a day. There is a big possibility that his access to food may be very limited due to the difficulty of his situation. It would be best if he transferred to another facility where he can ask for assistance anytime. Reviewing the dietary history is a necessary assessment. It can be evaluated through the use of a food questionnaire or a food diary. In determining the quantity of sodium and fat in the diet, examination of the food preparation methods is necessary (Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z, 2008). Studies show that there are several public related health benefits of medical nutrition therapy. The American Diabetes Association recommended a new guideline that prioritizes nutrition intervention as an essential part of a change in lifestyle which is extremely necessary in diabetes and cardiovascular disease prevention. It is also beneficial to put attention on the totality of the dietary pattern of a person as compared to individual nutrient approach. Studies also show that there is a twelve percent decrease in the risk of heart disease if the dietary regimen of a person focuses on increasing fruit and vegetable intake and avoid eating sodium rich products. A combination of diet therapy and food consumption of garlic, low cholesterol and low fat diets would greatly lower the risk for the development of a chronic heart disease. Research provides that counseling provided by registered dietitians produce more effective results in decreasing the cholesterol level as compared to the counseling done by physicians (Health Steps, Rx, n. d. ). Medical Nutrition Therapy plays a very significant part in improving the quality of care of persons who have various complications and diseases. Most of the time, people with chronic kidney diseases do not consult a dietitian is because of the deficiency of insurance treatment for medical nutrition therapy. Undergoing this therapy can help improve their health and lifestyle. As a matter of fact, it is encouraged that even people without sickness should have their nutritional assessment just to make sure that they are getting the right amount of nutrition the body needs. When it comes to a person’s health, it pays more to be careful. Most people go through life day by day without realizing that little by little their nutritional intake is going to a dangerous level that might cause or aggravate any present disease that they have. weber. edu/WSUImages/athletictraining/Medical%20Nutrition%20Therapy%20%5BCompatibility%20Mode%5D. pdf References American Dietetic Association. (2009). 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Evidence Supports Medical Nutrition Therapy for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from healthstepsrx. com/services/other/files/MNTevidence. pdf (2000). Medicare. The Gale Encyclopedia of Surgery. The Thompson Gale Group Inc. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from answers. com/topic/medicare Investment Dictionary. (N. d. ). Medicare. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from investopedia. com/terms/m/medicare. asp Investopedia Staff. (2009). What Does Medicare Cover?. Investopedia, A Forbes Digital Company. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from investopedia. com/articles/05/030405. asp? partner=answers Medicare Coverage of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT). N. d. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from www. rd411. com/diabetes_center/article_download. php? ID=26pro Medicare. (2008). Medical Nutrition Therapy. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from medicare. gov/Health/nutritiontherapy. asp Medicare. com. (2008). Medical Nutrition Therapy. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from medicare. com/services-and-procedures/medical-nutrition-therapy. html Medicare premiums and coinsurance rates for 2009. (2008). Medicare. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from http://questions. medicare. gov/cgi-bin/medicare. cfg/php/enduser/std_adp. php? p_faqid=2100 Moon, M. (2002). Medicare. The Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health. New York; MacMillan. Snetselaar, L. (N. d. ) Nutrition Counseling Skills for Medical Nutrition Therapy. Retrieved April 28, 2009 from http://books. google. com. ph/books? id=kXaiWrLYLbACpg=PA3lpg=PA3dq=definition+of+medical+nutrition+therapysource=blots=LlPrjejFPbsig=A5nP8fm343viXPhmWvi402k5QNAhl=tlei=5oL2SZq_F4yIkAWRp6X3Cgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=4#PPR5,M1 The American Dietetic Association. (2006). Comparison of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) Nutrition Care Process for Nutrition Education Services and the ADA Nutrition Care Process for Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) Services. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from eatright. org/ada/files/chart_of_mnt_vs__nut_ed_revised_short_version_8_06. pdf