Dietitian Progam

Our Dietitian Program provides eligible, referred patients a one-on-one appointment with a Primary Care Registered Dietitian to expertly assess their needs and determine the most appropriate type of care.

Patients are then connected to the most appropriate type of care: One-on-one Primary Care Registered Dietitian appointment(s) for nutritional counselling within the program, referral to an AHS or community-based service or provided self-management resources, or referral to a Primary Care Registered Nurse (for patients of physicians with Enhanced or Comprehensive membership).

We also developed a curated Nutrition Resources Guide to assist with referrals outside of our program.

Eligibility and referrals

All members can refer their eligible patients — ages 10 and up — to our Dietitian Program. Eligible patients are those:

• With health conditions — IBS, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, liver health, and kidney health — that need more support than what is widely available (physician-informed inclusion criteria on the referral form details the eligible conditions)
• Without coverage by other health payers or the financial means to access a Dietitian

Please complete the CWC PCN Dietitian Program Referral Form in your EMR (or download the form), fax it to our program, and explain the next steps to your patient.

Program details

• Eligible patients referred to the program are booked an initial one-on-one appointment with a Primary Care Registered Dietitian (one-hour virtual appointment with an in-person option) to expertly assess their needs and determine the most appropriate type of care.
• Patients are then connected to the most appropriate type of care:
  • Continued one-on-one appointment(s) with a Primary Care Registered Dietitian for nutritional counselling within the program (30-minute follow-up appointments)
  • Referred to an AHS or community-based service or provided self-management resources
  • Referred to a Primary Care Registered Nurse (for patients of physicians with Enhanced or Comprehensive membership)

Program monitoring and evaluation will be ongoing so we can identify expansion opportunities for the eligible conditions based on capacity and resources.

Faxed updates back to referring members:

• Notification of when the initial appointment is booked with a Primary Care Registered Dietitian or if the patient could not be contacted or declined
• Consult notes after each one-on-one appointment with the Primary Care Registered Dietitian

Review the step-by-step patient and communication to referring physician flow map.

Additional resources

For nutritional counselling for obesity and weight management, cardiovascular health, or diabetes, you can refer patients to your Primary Care Registered Nurse (if applicable), the Alberta Healthy Living Program’s services, or to Health Link (patients can complete the self-referral form to be contacted by a Health Link Dietitian). Primary Care Registered Nurses can also refer to our Dietitian Program.

Our curated collection of free programs, classes, and workshops in the community provides options for patients outside of our Dietitian Program. Please review our Nutrition Resources Guide and consider providing your patient with the appropriate patient handout.