KARUNA NUTRITION COUNSELING

The “Health at Every Size” approach, or HAES, focuses on healthy practices rather than weight loss. It acknowledges that all bodies are different and that size isn’t the defining factor for what is “healthy.”

Instead of dieting or calorie counting, HAES approaches include strategies for getting enough sleep, managing stress, and eating intuitively.

Registered dietitians are trained to educate patients on proper nutrition, as well as to address one’s relationship with food. These experts will work with patients to understand their diagnosis, mental health, and patterns and behaviors around food. A registered dietitian is an important member of the care team and is available to work in collaboration with other medical professionals..

Our nutrition counseling appointments revolve around discussing and building healthy behaviors through small, sustainable changes. We’ll begin with an initial consultation, then talk about implementing better nutrition, activity, and achievable goals.

Food is personal, and every body is different. That’s why we create custom care plans that meet your unique preferences and needs. We know to schedule an appointment is a big step, but know that we’re here to support and help, not judge.

After our first few sessions, we generally recommend that our clients follow up with us every one to four weeks. This allows us to provide continuous encouragement, as well as to help you overcome any obstacles that may arise.

Karuna offers personal training services to make you feel comfortable, safe and supported. To learn more about one-on-one training, please contact our office.

Yes, Karuna is a contracted provider with the following insurance companies:*

• Blue Cross Blue Shield (national BCBS & Anthem plan)
• Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
• United Health Care
• Cigna
• Tufts (commercial plans only)
• Fallon Community Health (commercial plans only)
• Allways Health Partners/MGB
• Aetna
• GIC Unicare/UMR
• HealthNet (California)

We are currently not a provider for MassHealth, Tufts/Fallon public plans, or Medicare/Medicaid.

*Just because we are contracted with your insurance company, it does not mean your specific policy will cover nutrition counseling from one of our providers. This particularly applies to our clients who reside outside of MA. Insurance coverage in a state other than Massachusetts will be dependent on your plans’ network and out-of-network benefits, as well as the state’s licensure requirements. We are happy to help you figure this out when you schedule your appointment!

Have questions? Contact our office.

It depends on your insurance. Each plan has a separate policy for nutrition coverage. To understand precisely what your plan covers, please call the member services number on your insurance card and speak directly to a representative. We provide a script to follow with your new client paperwork to ease this process for you!

This applies to all plans – even those that do not require referrals. Karuna Wellness Studio does not verify benefits for our clients.

Questions to ask your insurance representative include:

• Do I have benefits for nutrition consultation in a private practice setting?
• If I do have nutrition benefits, does it only cover certain diagnoses?
• Does my policy require a referral, pre-authorization, or pre-determination?
• How many visits do I qualify for each year?
• What is my co-payment due at each appointment?
• Do I have a deductible? If so, will the cost of my nutrition appointment be applied to my deductible (and therefore the patient will be responsible for the cost out-of-pocket)?

If your plan requires a referral, pre-authorization, or pre-determination, please obtain this prior to your consultation. In some cases, a pre-auth or pre-determination can take longer to process than a standard referral and will need to be approved by your insurance company before we can conduct your initial visit.

If you are responsible for a portion of the charges not covered by insurance (a copayment or deductible), we accept cash, checks, credit/debit cards, and HSA/FSA cards.

We do require a credit card to hold appointment times. Your credit card will only be charged in the case of a late cancel or no-show as outlined in our practice policies.

Our primary physical location is at the South Entrance of the West Morse Park Campus at 100 Morse Street, Ste 212 in Norwood, MA.

If you are approaching the building from Pleasant Street, please park in the lot on the left side of the road that runs along the front of the building, directly across from the Subaru dealership. If you are driving from Route 1, as you approach the top of the hill, you will see the Subaru dealership on your left, and the entrance to the parking lot is on your right. There is a blue awning over the South Entrance.

Please park in either a space designated for Karuna or in a visitor or unassigned spot. Enter through the South Entrance and proceed to the 2nd Floor via the stairs or elevator and exit right.

We also now have a secondary physical location in Florida at 800 SE 4th Ave, Ste 123, Hallandale Beach, FL.

We are able to see clients virtually whose primary residence is in the following states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, HI, ID, IN, MA, NH, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, TX, UT, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY

The “No Surprises Act” affects any self-pay clients, or who choose not to utilize their health insurance. As of January 1, 2022 we are required to provide a “Good Faith Estimate” (GFE) outlining the anticipated costs of our services before we initiate appointments. Please click here to review our GFE.