It will take approximately one or two hours, however, the length of your child's visit will depend on the diagnosis and what he or she is being treated for. Regardless of the type of visit, please prepare for waiting time in the clinic and the possibility of staying longer in case further tests and/or procedures are necessary.

What does the visit consist of? Will there be testing?

The format of your child's visit depends on his or her diagnosis and reason for being at the hospital. The dietitian most often discusses eating and food with you and your child and decides from that what the best way to move forward would be. If necessary, yes, there may be tests and procedures that day, depending on the diagnosis.

Yes. It is very important for the dietitian to see the patient for a proper assessment to be made. In addition, there may be a need to perform tests, such as arm anthropometrics, and to take an accurate weight and height measurement, so there is a proper and consistent way to compare these variables at follow-up visits.

Is it better to see the registered dietitian (RD) first, or the specialist that I'm seeing the same day and then see the RD?

Because we work as a team at Children's Hospital Boston, unless otherwise instructed prior to your visit, it does not matter what order your child sees the dietitian and the specialist in the same visit.

If I end up having to pay out of pocket, how much will be first visit cost? For the initial nutrition assessment with an RD, the fee for 15 minutes is $71.00, so a one-hour visit would be $284.00, although this fee is subject to change.

My child has not seen an RD yet, but we have a quick nutrition question. What should we do?

Because there are so many questions we need to have the answers to and, before we can give you a legitimate answer to any questions you and your child may have prior to the initial visit, we often recommend waiting for your child's RD visit.