We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn from qualifying purchases. That means that if you click on an Amazon link from this site, we may earn a commission. We are highly selective and only promote programs, products, and/or services we feel are helpful to our tribe.  Use your own judgment to determine that any such program, product, or service is appropriate for you. You are assuming all risks, and you agree that we are not liable in any way for any program, product, or service that we may promote, market, share or sell on or through the Well Balanced Nutrition Website.

When you sign up for one of our freebies or newsletters, we use your name and email for direct communications, the newsletter, and other pertinent updates. You always have the option to unsubscribe.

Please note you are responsible for

• notifying your nutrition provider with at least 24-hour notice if you need to make changes to the appointment.

• verifying your insurance benefits and paying any amount of the billed rate that is not covered by your insurance company.

• communicating with your nutrition provider regarding any questions, concerns, expectations, or requests. You can reach your provider through Healthie chat, email and phone calls. Note: text messages are not secure and we do not advice sharing private medical information.

Need to reschedule or can’t make your appointment? We understand that sometimes our busy work schedules and unexpected events get in the way of our best plans. To avoid getting charged a cancellation fee, please get in touch with us at least 24 hours in advance to cancel/reschedule your appointment. 

If 24 hours’ notice is not provided, a fee of $50.00 will be charged to you.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.

Lucy Hayhurst and Kristen Norton, Registered Dietitians, provide healthcare to patients. The information regarding the privacy practices in this notice will be followed by:

• Any health care professional in this office who treats you.

• All departments including our business office.

• All employees and interns.

• Any business associate with who we share health information.

You will also be asked to acknowledge in writing a receipt of this notice. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive to provide quality care and to comply with legal requirements. This notice applies to all the records of your care that we maintain. By law, I am required to:

• Keep medical information about you private.

• Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you.

• Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

We may change our policies at any time. Changes will apply to medical information we already hold and to the future information after the changes occur. Before we make a significant change to our policies, we will alter our notice and post the new notice for public view. You can receive a copy of the notice at any time.

I may use and disclose medical information about you for any purpose regarding your treatment; to obtain payment for treatment (such as sending billing information to your insurance company), and for health care operations (such as comparing practice patterns to improve treatment methods).

We may use and disclose medical information about you without your prior authorization for several other reasons, subject to certain requirements: for public health purposes, abuse or neglect reporting, health oversight audits or inspections, research studies, worker’s compensation purposes, and emergencies. I will also disclose medical information when required by law (such as in response to valid judicial or administrative orders).

We also may contact you for appointment reminders, or tell you about or recommend possible treatment options, alternatives, and/or health-related benefits that may be of interest to you.

We may disclose medical information about you to a friend or family member who is involved with your medical care. We will ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing medical information about you in any other situation not covered by this notice. If you chose to authorize use or disclosure you can later revoke that authorization by notifying us in writing of your decision.

Your Rights Regarding Personal Medical Information

In most cases, you have the right to look at or get a copy of medical information that I use to make decisions about your care, after submitting a written request. We may charge a fee for the cost of copying, mailing, or related supplies. If we deny your request to review or obtain a copy of your medical record, you may submit a written request for a review of that decision.

If you think that information in your record is incomplete or incorrect you have the right to request that I correct the records by submitting a written request that I amend them. I would deny the request in cases when the information was not created by me, not part of the information maintained by me, or if I determine that the record was accurate. You may appeal in writing, a decision not to amend your record.

You have the right to a listing of those instances where I have disclosed medical information about you, other than where you specifically authorized the disclosure. You must submit a written request stating the time period desired for the accounting, which must be less than a six-month period and starting after November 1, 2015. The first disclosure list in a 12-month period is free. I will inform you before you incur charges for a subsequent list.

You have a right to a paper copy of this notice.

You have the right to request that medical information about you be communicated to you in a confidential manner, such as sending mail to an address other than your home, by notifying me in writing.

You may request in writing that I do not use or disclose your medical information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations or to persons involved in your care except when specifically authorized by you, when required by law, or in an emergency. I am not legally required to accept your request, but will consider it and inform you of my decision.

All written requests or appeals should be submitted to our Privacy Officer, Lucy Hayhurst.

Complaints

If you are concerned that your privacy rights may have been violated, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your records, you may contact our Privacy Officer, Lucy Hayhurst.

Finally, you may send a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Human Services Office of Civil Rights. We will be happy to provide the address.

Under no circumstances will you be retaliated against or penalized in any way.

What are surprise medical bills?

If you have health insurance and get care from an out-of-network provider or at an out-of-network facility, your health plan may not cover the entire out-of-network cost. This can leave you with higher costs than if you got care from an in-network provider or facility. In the past, in addition to any out-of-network cost-sharing you might owe, the out-of-network provider or facility could bill you for the difference between the billed charge and the amount your health plan paid unless banned by state law. This is called “balance billing.” An unexpected balance bill from an out-of-network provider is also called a surprise medical bill.

What are the new protections if I have health insurance?

If you get health coverage through your employer, the Health Insurance Marketplace®, or an individual health insurance plan you purchase directly from an insurance company, these new rules will:

Ban surprise bills for emergency services, even if you get them out-of-network and without approval beforehand (prior authorization).

Ban out-of-network cost-sharing (like out-of-network coinsurance or copayments) for all emergency and some non-emergency services. You can’t be charged more than in-network cost-sharing for these services.

Ban out-of-network charges and balance bills for supplemental care (like anesthesiology or radiology) by out-of-network providers who work at an in-network facility.

Require that health care providers and facilities give you an easy-to-understand notice explaining that getting care out-of-network could be more expensive and options to avoid balance bills. You’re not required to sign this notice or get care out-of-network.

What if I don’t have health insurance or choose to pay for care on my own without using my health insurance?

If you don’t have insurance or you choose to pay for care without using your insurance (also known as “self-paying” for care), these new rules make sure you can get a “good faith estimate” of how much your care will cost, before you get care.

Are there exceptions to these protections?

Some health insurance coverage programs already have protections against high medical bills. You’re already protected against surprise medical billing if you have coverage through Medicare, Medicaid, Indian Health Services, Veterans Affairs Health Care, or TRICARE.

Right to Receive a Good Faith Estimate of Expected Charges Under the No Surprises Act

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost.

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. 

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. 

Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service. 

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. 

Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. 

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises 

Bottom Line for Well Balanced Nutrition Clients:

You are entitled to an estimate of how much nutrition services will cost if paying out-of-pocket for any reason. There will never be ‘surprise’ costs for your nutrition care.

Number of Appointments – How many appointments you might have is dependent on your case and your needs. Most people are seen once a month. Others are seen more frequently or less frequently than that. Some people are seen ongoing for years, others are only seen a couple of times. It varies greatly and is a mutual decision between you and your dietitian.

Additional Support- Any other programs, tests, or supplements are always discussed beforehand and entirely your choice whether to purchase or not.

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.

Lucy Hayhurst, Registered Dietitian, provides health care to patients. The information regarding the privacy practices in this notice will be followed by:

•Any health care professional in this office who treats you.

•All departments including my business office.

•All employees and interns.

•Any business associate with who I share health information.

You will also be asked to acknowledge in writing receipt of this notice.

I am committed to protecting medical information about you. I create a record of the care and services you receive to provide quality care and to comply with legal requirements. This notice applies to all the records of your care that we maintain. By law, I am required to:

•Keep medical information about you private.

•Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you.

•Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

I may change our policies at any time. Changes will apply to medical information we already hold and to the future information after the changes occur. Before I make significant change to our policies, I will alter our notice and post the new notice for public view. You can receive a copy of the notice at any time.

I may use and disclose medical information about you for any purpose regarding your treatment; to obtain payment for treatment (such as sending billing information to your insurance company or Medicare), and for health care operations (such as comparing practice patterns to improve treatment methods).

I may use and disclose medical information about you without your prior authorization for several other reasons, subject to certain requirements: for public health purposes, abuse or neglect reporting, health oversight audits or inspections, research studies, worker’s compensation purposes, and emergencies. I will also disclose medical information when required by law (such as in response to valid judicial or administrative orders).

I also may contact you for appointment reminders, or tell you about or recommend possible treatment options, alternatives, and/or health related benefits that may be of interest to you.

We may disclose medical information about you to a friend or family member who is involved with your medical care. We will ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing medical information about you in any other situation not covered by this notice. If you chose to authorize use or disclosure you can later revoke that authorization by notifying us in writing of your decision.

Your Rights Regarding Personal Medical Information

In most cases you have the right to look at or get a copy of medical information that I use to make decisions about your care, after submitting a written request. I may charge a fee for the cost of copying, mailing, or related supplies. If I deny your request to review or obtain a copy of your medical record, you may submit a written request for a review of that decision.

If you think that information in your record is incomplete or incorrect you have the right to request that I correct the records by submitting a written request that I amend them. I would deny the request in cases when the information was not created by me, not part of the information maintained by me, or if I determine that the record was accurate. You may appeal in writing, a decision not to amend your record.

You have the right to a listing of those instances where I have disclosed medical information about you, other than where you specifically authorized the disclosure. You must submit a written request stating the time period desired for the accounting, which must be less than a six-month period and starting after November 1, 2015. The first disclosure list in a 12-month period is free. I will inform you before you incur charges for a subsequent list.

You have a right to a paper copy of this notice.

You have the right to request that medical information about you be communicated to you in a confidential manner, such as sending mail to an address other than your home, by notifying me in writing.

You may request in writing that I not use or disclose your medical information for treatment, payment, or health care operations or to persons involved in your care except when specifically authorized by you, when required by law, or in an emergency. I am not legally required to accept your request, but will consider it and inform you of my decision.

All written requests or appeals should be submitted to my Privacy Officer.

Complaints

If you are concerned that your privacy rights may have been violated, or you disagree with a decision I made about access to your records, you may contact my Privacy Officer.

Finally, you may send a written complaint to the U.S. Department of Human Services Office of Civil Rights. I will be happy to provide the address.

Under no circumstances will you be retaliated against or penalized in any way.