Physician Directory
Clinic Directory
Contact usBased on member feedback: New Dietitian Program for your eligible patients (no cost to patients).
Our PCN is launching a new program to support your patients — ages 10 and up — who are otherwise unable to access one-on-one Dietitian support for:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Crohn’s disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Celiac disease
- Liver health
- Kidney health
For nutritional counselling for obesity and weight management, cardiovascular health, or diabetes, you can refer patients to the Alberta Healthy Living Program’s services, Health Link (patients can complete the self-referral form to be contacted by a Health Link Dietitian), or your Primary Care Registered Nurse (if applicable).
Resource guide: We have also developed a curated collection of free programs, classes, and workshops in the community for patients. You can use our Nutrition Resources Guide (with links to patient handouts) when referring outside of our Dietitian Program.
Access to Dietitians was one of the top-three-requested PCN supports — based on the survey asking for ideas for the lump-sum funding — and our Dietitian Program is focusing the available, limited resources for nutritional counselling on patients:
- With health conditions that need more support than what is widely available (thoughtful, physician-informed inclusion criteria listed on the referral form)
- Without coverage by other health payers or the financial means to access a Dietitian
Thank you to the many physician members who provided feedback or shared their expertise through survey responses, one-on-one interviews, and in the working group to help inform the design of this program and bring it to our membership.
Program monitoring and evaluation will be ongoing so we can identify expansion opportunities for eligible conditions based on capacity and resources.
Dietitian Program overview:
- 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 appointments 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)
Fax 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
See the step-by-step patient journey and physician notifications
Get the form to refer:
- Please download the new referral form and upload it to your EMR.
- To save you time, our Health Information Coordinators are adding it to clinic EMRs (search “CWC PCN Dietitian Program referral form”) where possible.