About

Debra Benfield Consulting (Debra Benfield and associates) is in network with BCBS and will file insurance claims on your behalf with BCBS. 

If you will be using your BCBS health insurance policy to cover a portion of your nutrition therapy, you will need to understand your coverage, including your co-pays, co-insurance and deductible. It is important that you contact your insurance company prior to your first visit, so that we know how much to bill you. Please call the Customer Service telephone number on the back of your insurance card.

We are out of network with other insurance companies. We can provide you with a “superbill,” which can be submitted to your insurance company for reimbursement. You can call your insurance company to inquire about your out of network benefits. If we are out of network with your insurance company, you will need to pay for your sessions at the time of service, and the reimbursement will be paid directly to you.

When calling your insurance company, ask the following questions to help determine your coverage: 

1. Is Debra Benfield Consulting (NPI number 1588131817) currently an in-network provider for my plan? 
2. If not, what are my out of network benefits? 
3. Does my plan cover outpatient nutrition counseling, CPT codes 97802 (nutrition assessment), 97803 (follow up), or 97904 (group)? If you have diabetes, you may also want to ask about diabetes management codes, G0108 (individual) and G0109 (group). 
4. Do I have any nutrition counseling visits covered under the preventative care portion of my plan, (ICD-10 code z71.3)? 
5. Do I need a physician referral? 
6. Do I have a deductible for “Nutritional Counseling Services”? 
7. If yes, how much is it and how much has been met so far? 
8. Is there a copayment for each visit or do I have co-insurance? If I have co-insurance, what is the percentage of coverage? 
9. How many sessions are covered per year?
10. What month does the policy year renew?  
11. Are there any restrictions and/or limitations to my coverage? 

Please bring your insurance card, along with the answer to these questions, to your first visit. Please note that we will not accurately know how much insurance will pay until we have filed and received payment. After that, we will adjust your balance accordingly.

A registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) is a food, nutrition and eating behavior expert. RDNs must successfully:

* Graduate with a bachelor’s degree from an American Dietetic Association (ADA) accredited university or college nutrition program.
* Complete an internship at an ADA accredited supervised practice program (typically 9-12 months).
* Pass a national exam administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
* Design, submit and maintain a Professional Development Portfolio approved by the CDR.
* Complete 75 continuing education credit hours every five years.
* Maintain state licensure (In North Carolina, the State of North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition).

For complete information visit The American Dietetic Association

Nutrition Therapist (RD with advanced skill set): meets with the patient over a longer period of time and encounters the complex area of human relationship dynamics. Level of involvement is individualized depending upon the division of responsibilities within the treatment team. It is recognized that by necessity RDs have had to learn basic counseling and behavior change skills, as they deal with changing eating behaviors for many diagnosed illnesses.

The nutrition therapist must be able to effectively recognize, assess, and appropriately plan treatment for a patient with an Eating Disorder.

Our RDs have Master’s level educations along with advanced‐level training via self‐study and continued education.  The care you receive at Body in Mind Nutrition/Debra Benfield Consulting is provided by RDs who receive regular supervision with an CEDRD-S (an International Association of Eating Disorders Professional (IAEDP)-approved Supervisor.)

Certification is evidence that both the professional and IAEDP are diligent in seeking advancement in training, education, research and competency in addressing the complexities involved in the treatment of eating disorders.

(Source: International Association of Eating Disorder Professions/IAEDP)

The chronic nature of our culture’s obsession with both weight and food rules has created harm and fractured our natural ability to trust our body’s ability to regulate our eating. Intuitive Eating is an approach developed to help you heal from the side effects of chronically following food rules or “diets”. If you have tried to follow food rules, you likely experience a “diet backlash”. This may include an increase in rigidity in seeing foods as “good” and “bad”, restricting that may lead to binge eating, and difficulty in trusting yourself with food and eating.

An intuitive eater is defined as a person who “makes food choices without experiencing guilt or an ethical dilemma, honors hunger, respects fullness and enjoys the pleasure of eating.” We offer both individual and group programs to support your process of becoming an Intuitive Eater.

The Health At Every Size® Principles are:

1. Weight Inclusivity: Accept and respect the inherent diversity of body shapes and sizes and reject the idealizing or pathologizing of specific weights.

1. Health Enhancement: Support health policies that improve and equalize access to information and services, and personal practices that improve human well-being, including attention to individual physical, economic, social, spiritual, emotional, and other needs.

1. Respectful Care: Acknowledge our biases, and work to end weight discrimination, weight stigma, and weight bias. Provide information and services from an understanding that socio-economic status, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and other identities impact weight stigma, and support environments that address these inequities.

1. Eating for Well-being: Promote flexible, individualized eating based on hunger, satiety, nutritional needs, and pleasure, rather than any externally regulated eating plan focused on weight control.

1. Life-Enhancing Movement: Support physical activities that allow people of all sizes, abilities, and interests to engage in enjoyable movement, to the degree that they choose.

(Source:  Association of Size Diversity and Health/ASDAH)

Currently, Family-Based Treatment is considered the best treatment for children and teens diagnosed with eating disorders. All associates of Body in Mind Nutrition have received training in providing Family-Based Treatment.

The providers of Body in Mind Nutrition are committed to supporting families in raising kids who feel comfortable and confidant with about food and body image, as well as competency in their eating. We utilize the Division of Responsibility (DOR) developed by the Ellyn Satter Institute in our work with families.

“Eating Competence is being comfortable and flexible with eating as well as matter-of-fact and reliable about getting enough to eat of enjoyable food. Even though they don’t worry about what and how much to eat, competent eaters do better nutritionally, are more active, sleep better, and have better lab tests. They are more self-aware and self-accepting, not only with food, but in all ways. To be a competent eater, be relaxed, self-trusting, and joyful about eating, and take good care of yourself with food.”

(Source: Ellyn Satter Institute)