How do I choose an eating disorder treatment provider?
Eating disorders are very complex, differ greatly from person to person, and they require professional help to treat. While finding the right provider can feel overwhelming, you’re taking a very important step in the right direction and we’re here to help.
To help guide you in choosing what treatment provider is best for you, we’ll provide you with some considerations to keep in mind, as well as questions you can ask your potential providers.
Inpatient vs. Outpatient Care
Eating disorder treatment typically consists of one of two types of care: inpatient or outpatient. Inpatient treatment involves being admitted to a hospital or treatment center away from home. Outpatient treatment allows the patient to stay at home while receiving care from a mental health professional, dietician, other medical provider, attending a program, or all of the above.
This blog is meant to help guide you in finding outpatient treatment.
First things to consider:
What are your personal needs?
These include things like the type of eating disorder you have, how far you can travel to see someone for treatment, or if you need LGBTQ+ affirming care.
Do you have health insurance?
If you have insurance, look into what it does and doesn’t cover. If your insurance doesn’t cover treatment, or you don’t have insurance, you can ask your potential provider if they offer a sliding fee schedule.
Keep in mind that sometimes the physician who makes your initial diagnosis has to be in your insurance network to approve any additional treatment moving forward.
You can either go through your insurance for a list of providers and make a decision based on that list, or you can call providers that you are interested in directly and ask if they accept your insurance.
Questions to Ask Potential Outpatient Providers
Insurance:
What insurances do you take?
Will you bill the insurance directly?
Do you have a sliding fee schedule, if I don’t have insurance?
Office:
Are you taking new clients?
What are your hours and availability?
Do you offer in person and/or virtual appointments?
What is your intake process?
What medical information do you need?
Do I need a medical evaluation as part of the intake process?
Are you LGBTQ+ affirmative?
Experience:
How long have you been treating eating disorders?
What percentage of your clients are people with eating disorders?
Do you have experience treating clients with additional diagnoses or issues (athletes, trauma, etc.)?
What professional licenses do you have?
What training and education do you have that is specific to eating disorders?
Do you belong to any professional eating disorder organizations or subscribe to journals?
Treatment:
How will you work with other treatment providers, such as medical doctors, dieticians?
How do you involve family members/friends in treatment?
How would you describe your treatment style? What tools and approaches do you use?
How often will we discuss my progress and treatment plan?
