Healthcare Professionals
Why choose a Registered Dietitian?
Registered Dietitians have the skills and knowledge to translate nutrition science into practical information. Studies show that Medical Nutrition Therapy can:
- Prevent or reduce the severity of numerous diseases and their complications
- Decrease the length of hospital stay
- Increase performance in sports
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Improve health and well being
Registered Dietitians at Children’s:
- Specialize in the unique issues of pediatrics
- Completed extensive training and continuing education in pediatric nutrition
Top 10 Reasons to Refer Your Patients to a Registered Dietitian:
- Your patient has diabetes, congenital health defects, hypertension, cancer, hyperlipidemia, or other chronic disorders
- Your patient has digestive problems (Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, short bowel syndrome)
- Your patient has food allergies which impact a major food group (for example: milk protein or wheat allergy)
- Your patient was a premature or low birth weight infant or has deviated from their established growth curve and is not growing adequately (failure to thrive)
- You are concerned about your patient’s weight or risk of becoming overweight
- Your patient and their family wants to eat healthier
- Your patient has or is at risk of developing a nutrient deficiency
- Your patient has difficulty feeding, has issues with food or is showing signs of disordered eating habits
- Your patient wants to improve their performance in sports
How do I refer a patient for an outpatient nutrition consultation?
Please fax 205-638-6047 the following items to our office:
- Signed referral form for Medical Nutrition Therapy with specific diagnoses (with codes) indicated
- The reason for the referral
- Current medication list
- Growth chart(s)
- Any relevant laboratory values/test results
- History & phyiscal/progress notes
- Any relevant protocols
Once the appropriate authorizations and all necessary records have been obtained, then we will contact your patient’s family to schedule a consultation.
Have questions about how to refer a patient for nutrition services at Children’s? Please refer to our frequently asked questions regarding outpatient referrals for nutrition services.
