Online Dietitian & Nutritionist Appointments via Skype, Zoom or Phone

Update: as of March 28th 2020, Great Ideas in Nutrition is now eligible for Medicare rebates for both video conference and phone appointments. This is based on a decision from the Government to expand telehealth Medicare and Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) services for allied health in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Need to see a Dietitian, but you're having to self-isolate?

Our online nutritionist skype or zoom consultations are perfect for anyone living out of town, tied to their desk or who just find it hard to make it to our Tweed, Gold Coast or Lismore Dietitian's offices in Australia.

Amanda Clark is an industry expert with over 25 years' experience. She has been a media spokesperson for many years and has appeared regularly on morning shows and was the nutrition expert for Good Health Magazine over several years. All staff at Great Ideas in Nutrition are chosen for their knowledge, patience and ability to devise practical solutions that you will feel capable and even excited about implementing.

online nutrition appointments with telehealth by dietitian amanda clark

Amanda and her team have particular expertise in the areas of Weight Management, Bariatric Surgery, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fertility, Pregnancy, Type 2 Diabetes and can assist with any nutritional issue. An initial Skype, phone, in-clinic or in-home consultation would involve reviewing your health history, clarifying your goals and working with you to devise a plan to achieve your goals.

Your History: Here’s where you tell us what life has been like for you to date with specific relevance to the problem at hand. We will send you forms to save time and give you a chance to think through the issues.

Clarifying Your Goals: This is critical to ensuring we’re working in the direction that you want to go. When the practitioner can’t be sure where you’re wanting to go, you can waste alot of time and money “driving around” never being quite sure if you’ve achieved what you wanted or not. Once you’ve defined what you want, we can help shape that vision, ensure it is realistic and set you on the right path to your destination. We can even navigate all the way along.

Devising a Plan: It is essential that you are involved in the construction of the plan. Every part of it needs to be practical and do-able, in fact it also needs to be enjoyable or the chances of following through with it and reaching that goal become depleted. We are big on the visual, so knowing that you are able to visualise yourself carrying out the plan is important to us. Where will you be eating, what will you be eating, how will you be eating it, are you looking happy about it, who are you with? All these things are the finer details of you moving towards your goals.

Monitoring: We all know we do better when we are accountable. That’s why we named our online package the Accountability Pack. You are far more likely to achieve your goals when you have us on your side and we get to redirect you, motivate you and acknowledge your achievements along the way. We also get to add new pieces to the education puzzle to help with your confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dietitians are one of the few professions who can change your life from a distance. When dietitians work from home they must comply with confidentiality and privacy rules for both conversations and storage and transmission of medical information. We generally carry out our telehealth from our offices however there has been times when that has not been possible. All our client files are held securely online and accessible via password protected portals. Gone are the days when we could only see you if we were in the same location as your client file. Our telehealth services mean we can work from anywhere and see you wherever you are too.

Whilst many practitioners may use complex systems that require you to download software for the purpose of a telehealth consult, our system just requires you to simply click a link. To be seen, your computer must have a camera, and it does need to have a microphone. These are commonly built in to modern computers, and the software goes looking for them automatically. You can also connect using your mobile smart phone though connecting from a laptop or desktop enables your practitioner to show you documents or images during the consultation, which is limited on a mobile phone screen. At your appointment time, if you don’t appear in the “waiting room” from the link, then we will just call you and either sort out the problem or continue by telephone. It’s easy.

Health practitioners are required to use secure systems for telehealth. We use Coviu which is specifically designed for telehealth consultations. There is even the opportunity to record your session where both parties agree to this. When you make a booking with any of the practitioners at Great Ideas in Nutrition. You will receive a link to complete your health details which will appear directly in your medical record. There is no risk of emailed documents going astray or data exposure with our secure system.

As of April 2020 telehealth became an approved method of service delivery for most funders including DVA, Medicare, NDIS and many private health funds. This may be a temporary measure, however each funder will be considering whether this may continue beyond September 2020. To be eligible for a Medicare rebate you must have an Enhanced Primary Careplan ( EPC) referral from your doctor. To meet the requirements of the program you must have a chronic health condition that requires multidisciplinary care. This is up to your doctor to determine. If you are unsure, ask your GP if you would qualify for a medicare referral to a dietitian. If you would like to consult with one of our dietitians, that referral is best made out to “Great Ideas in Nutrition”. This way you can see your choice of providers within the practice. It can be made out to the individual dietitian but this limits you to seeing that practitioner only, and you may find that the style, interests or availability of another practitioner may suit you better.

The number of visits available in a calendar year under the allied health program is 5. Those 5 visits are in total, shared between most allied health providers. If you are seeing a psychologist, that may be under a specific mental health care plan which is a completely separate plan and would not use any of your 5 EPC visits. Sometimes your visits are spread out between several practitioners, eg. 1 visit with the podiatrist, 2 with the physiotherapist and 2 with the dietitian. Your health issue may benefit from more visits than the EPC specifies and this is quite normal. Medicare aims to assist with the costs but not cover all the costs associated with healthcare. By specifying to your dietitian that you intend to continue consultations, if relevant, after the rebateable consultations, this will assist the dietitian to appropriately plan the steps toward better health. If you have private health insurance, you must choose which system to claim a rebate from on each consultation. You cannot claim from both Medicare and your private health insurer. Often the initial consultation attracts a better rebate from private health insurance than from Medicare, but check with your health fund.

You would need to contact the medical practice who wrote the EPC referral and have them alter the referral to be to Great Ideas in Nutrition. That should not be a problem. You have the right to choose your service provider. It is valuable to see a practitioner with expertise in your area of concern. Whilst telehealth is approved this broadens the field. Great Ideas in Nutrition maintains high levels of expertise in weight related issues including bariatric surgery and gut related issues including bloating, constipation and diarrhoea. To find a dietitian with a keen interest in other areas go to www.daa.asn.au and select Find a Dietitian.

Yes, we can process your rebate directly to your bank account after the consultation. All funders process rebates after the consultation has taken place. We will assist in providing the correct paperwork or processing your claim where possible

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Choosing between Skype, Zoom or Phone

Skype and Zoom are free and simple programs for video phone calls which works over the internet, saving money on phone bills. All you'll need is a simple webcam with microphone which can be purchased cheaply via electrical stores. Sometimes the quality of the connection can be poor for video and may proceed only by voice, but that also works fine. If you’re not confident about Skype or Zoom, you can choose to phone us for your remote Dietitian appointment.

If the online Dietitian appointment is via Skype or Zoom, you just need to let us know your account in the notes section of your booking or via email. We will add you to our contacts in readiness for your appointment and call you at the appointed time.

Please note that Skype and Zoom unfortunately does not guarantee the security of our service, so you may choose not to discuss sensitive issues via this medium. Just let us know there because there are more secure paid services we can make use of for your consultation.

We are registered with all private health funds, Medicare, DVA, and NDIS. At this time, Medicare and DVA appointments need to be face to face to attract a refund. Check with individual health funds regarding requirements. We require 24 hours' notice of cancellation for all offline and online appointments.

Practitioner Consultation Type Duration Pay at time of booking or online
Amanda Clark Initial 45 mins $185
Amanda Clark Review 15 mins $89
Any Body Composition Test Only 5 mins $34

Note: All consultation, whether prepaid or pay on the day require 24 hours notice of cancellation. We will always try to accommodate late notice changes in time on the day and welcome a switch from in-person to phone where required - please ask.


Learn about our team of dietitians

Bookings

1. You can check our availability online, just choose your practitioner, select the service required ( initial is required for your first visit, for a significant new problem eg. New diagnosis of kidney disease or if it’s been over a year since you’ve attended a consultation) and you’ll see the times available. All online bookings are prepaid so you see the prepaid fees quoted above. You are also welcome to phone the office between 9.30am and 5pm NSW time to discuss your needs.

2. Please let us know the topic of discussion so that we may have our best resources at the ready - you can enter those details in the notes section of the booking form or discuss with our receptionist by phone.

3. Once your booking is confirmed you will receive some forms to complete. This will ensure your consultation time is not spent taking details and we can focus on the assessment and plan.

4. On your consultation day if you are attending in person, please arrive on time or 10 minutes early if you have been unable to complete your forms at home to bring with you. If you are a phone or skype consultation, please ensure your forms have been sent to us the day before. This may enable your practitioner to view them prior to the consultation time if possible. At your consultation time, be ready by your computer or telephone and your practitioner will call you. Please ensure we have your skype or best phone contact details in advance.

PACKAGES: After your initial consultation you may be invited to take advantage of a package of consultations. The dietitian will determine the recommended time and frequency of follow up and then recommend a suitable plan for ongoing accountability and management. These optional packages are priced around $500 and include multiple visits spaced over time and may also include specific products, resources or benefits appropriate to your situation.

Have A Question?

Some additional information about our online dietitian appointments:

Telehealth ensures ease of access to the dietitians with the skill to match your need. You will receive an online form link to submit your information securely and let your practitioner know what you are seeking from the session. This helps us prepare and make sure we have the most useful strategies at hand. We use Coviu for our telehealth consultations which is a secure platform that you will find very easy to connect to – just by clicking a link. Even if you are scared of technology, we’ll help you connect.

Our online Diet and Nutrition services take a practical focus. Despite the strong clinical and evidence based background of our dietitians, we never fail to apply that evidence to your situation, so you don’t just know what to do but also why, how and when to do it. We will also help to keep you accountable. We keep you on track and aware of your success.

When things aren’t going so well that’s also a perfect time for a therapeutic conversation that turns your attention and focus in a different direction which can be life changing. Wherever you are, we are there with you and helping to shift your direction to align with your goals.

Great Ideas in Nutrition Reception Team - Dietitian Gold Coast Bulk Bill