Dietitian Michele Nicolo, left, discusses nutrition with Edna Bernal, Patient Satisfaction Manager for Spring Valley's room service program.

Good nutrition and exercise habits can have a positive impact on the health of people with certain chronic medical conditions. Because of this, Medicare Part B now covers medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for beneficiaries who have diabetes or non-dialysis kidney disease.

"MNT is individual counseling about nutrition and lifestyle habits," says Michele Nicolo, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center. "MNT isn't about dieting. It's about empowering people with information so they can make healthy lifestyle changes to improve their health and the quality of their lives."

MNT helps patients control their health
During MNT, a registered dietitian evaluates patients' nutritional and exercise status and offers personal advice and counseling to help patients maximize their health. The counseling covers a variety of topics, including food and meal planning, preparing foods, modifying recipes, physical activity, lab results, improving blood sugar levels, etc.

MNT can offer patients important, life-changing benefits. For example, by helping patients gain better control over their diseases, MNT may help:

• Reduce the amount of diabetes medications patients need
• Prevent or minimize painful and dangerous complications
• Reduce hospitalizations and the length of hospitalizations

Medicare coverage
Medicare now covers three hours of MNT counseling for beneficiaries during the first year of their diagnosis with diabetes or non-dialysis kidney disease. Beneficiaries who need continued counseling beyond the first year may be eligible for additional MNT benefits. A registered dietitian must provide MNT services.

In the future, Medicare may cover MNT services for eligible beneficiaries who have other medical conditions, including heart disease.

If you are a Medicare beneficiary who has diabetes or non-dialysis kidney disease, talk with your doctor about whether you could benefit from MNT.

For more information about the medical nutrition therapy services available at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center, call 853-3535.

Many Patients Benefit From Medical Nutrition Therapy
Registered dietitians at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center develop personalized nutrition and lifestyle plans for people with a variety of health concerns, including those who:

• Have chronic conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular complications, renal and pulmonary disease, etc.
• Are overweight, both adults and children
• Are considering bariatric surgery
• Have allergies
• Have undergone a liver or kidney transplant

Our dietitians also can provide reliable information about specific diets. For example, they can help vegetarians plan meals that include adequate nutrients or answer questions about the risks and benefits of the newest fad diets.

Should You Buy Organic or Conventional Foods?
Organic foods -- fruits and vegetables grown with fewer pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, etc. -- are growing in popularity. But are these foods more nutritious or safer than their conventionally grown counterparts? The answer may surprise you.

"There's simply no evidence that organic foods are healthier than conventionally grown foods," says Michele Nicolo, a registered dietitian at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center.

Fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy, well-balanced diet, but experts say it doesn't matter whether you eat organic or conventionally grown fruits. What does matter is that you eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

The Valley Health System c/o Valley Hospital Medical Center 620 Shadow Lane Las Vegas, NV 89106