Good Faith Estimate

As of January 1, 2022, all licensed healthcare providers are required to provide estimates for the costs of care. You are entitled to receive a copy of your Good Faith Estimate (GFE) when you schedule an appointment, and/or upon request.

The GFE shows the fees for items and services that are reasonably expected for your healthcare needs and treatment. This protects you from “balance billing” and other unexpected charges.

S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group provides you with a GFE once we’ve completed your initial assessment. This GFE does not include unexpected fees that could arise during our work together.

Unexpected fees may include outside referrals, cancellation and/or no-show fees, fees for labs not included in our initial assessment, and/or supplements purchased in our online dispensary. The GFE supplied by our office covers providers at S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group only.

How does this affect billing and payment policies at S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group?

The law protects you from surprise billing and “unexpected” surprise charges. 

S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group does not send clients a bill. You will pay for your sessions and/or program packages prior to the session(s) to serve as confirmation. 

What is the estimate? Do I owe this amount?

Under provisions of this law, we are required to provide you with an estimate of your healthcare costs. You are entitled to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” of what the charges could be for nutrition services provided to you. 

While it is not possible for a licensed dietitian-nutritionist to know in advance how many sessions may be necessary or appropriate for a given person, the GFE provides an estimate of the cost of services provided. Your total cost of services will depend upon the number of nutrition therapy sessions you attend, your individual circumstances, and the type and amount of services that are provided to you.

Providers

S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group provides medical nutrition therapy services. Additionally, we may utilize community workshops, program planning, and functional lab analyses with one of our providers or individuals that we collaborate with. 

Clients in our one-to-one Jump-Start Program work with our primary provider listed below with their corresponding National Provider Identifier (NPI) and licensure. Clients in our other programs may be assigned an adjunct provider. All lab analyses and recommendations are signed off on and approved by Miriam Wiener, MS, MPH:

Location of Services

S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group is a virtual practice with mailing address P.O. Box 32 Beverly Hills CA 90213. Providers conduct both on-location and virtual sessions. The GFE does not change based on your session being held on-location or via Telehealth.

Expected Frequency and Length of Treatment

We recognize that each client has a unique journey. Factors affecting your length of treatment may include the following: 1) presenting problem; 2) history of presenting problem; 3) stated goals, challenges, and life circumstances; 4) availability to schedule sessions; 5) personal support system; 6) treatment team; 7) age at problem onset; 8) presence of co-occurring conditions; and others. 

Our standard practice is to create a recommended 40-day protocol with client input after an initial strategy session and revise/update the protocol after the 40-day period. Therefore, we provide this estimate based on the timeframe we use for protocol planning.

The GFE is not a contract and therefore does not obligate you to receive the services listed in it. S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group believes the client-provider relationship to be paramount. We regard your autonomy, right to self-determination, and choice to receive medical nutrition therapy where you will most benefit.

Your Rights 

If you are billed more than the GFE, federal law allows you to dispute (appeal) the bill. You may start the dispute resolution process with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS will charge patients $25 to initiate the dispute process. 

If you choose the dispute resolution process, you must start the dispute process within 120 calendar days (about 4 months) of the date of the original bill. To learn more and get a form to start the process, go to www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call HHS directly at 1-800-985-3059.

Additionally, you may contact S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group at 800-840-6373 or email the practice owner directly at miriam@stepsnutritiongroup.com. If you would like to send a general message to our office, you may do so at support@stepsnutritiongroup.com.  

**Note: You will never receive a bill from S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group with the exception of a “superbill” for you to submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement. Please refer to our payment policies and financial responsibilities. As you pay for each session or program prior to the rendering of that service, we are not in the practice of sending out patient billing statements.