Dietitians matchmaker adds virtual visits to its regimen – Richmond BizSense

Note: This story has been updated to clarify that direct-to-consumer service is provided to customers virtually.

A Henrico-based company that supplies dietetic medical organizations on demand now also offers them to individual customers.

In early June, Dietitians On Demand quietly launched the new direct-to-consumer service, in which dietitians virtually meet with customers and guide them through their dietary and nutritional needs. The service is intended as an alternative to searching the web for personal health.

The company, at 7814 Carousel Lane, employs four full-time dietitians specifically for the service and plans to hire up to 12 more.

Since its launch last month, the service has received a satisfactory response, said project manager Alex Taylor.

“People at home don’t necessarily have time to sort through what’s fact and what’s fiction (online),” Taylor said. “Dietitians can cut through that noise.”

Virtual sessions are booked through the company’s website. The first appointment is priced at $150, and the client can continue the service by purchasing a package for several hundred dollars. The specific price varies depending on the package.

Taylor, 32, likened the setup to that of a personal trainer, working one-on-one with the individual.

Founded 17 years ago by Alicia Davis, Dietitians On Demand is led by CEO Ryan Davis, Alicia’s husband, who describes the role of a dietitian as often misunderstood or oversimplified. He argues that clinical dietitians can make a significant difference for those going through radical health changes, such as chemotherapy or a diagnosis of diabetes.

Alicia founded the company after observing that consultant dietitians were earning more than her in a part-time position at a local hospital. Joining herself in the consulting realm, she began to win more work than she could handle and realized that hospitals were facing a shortage of dietitians.

The couple saw the problem as an opportunity and began connecting organizations like hospitals and maternity wards with dieticians looking for a position. With no outside investment, the company was established in 2005 and became a national company in 2013, acquiring license agreements in other states.

Davis estimates the firm hired 600 dietitians last year, ranging from professionals who have stayed with the company for more than a decade to others who use the service occasionally.

With operations in most of the US, the company assigns assignments that may require a dietitian to travel across the country, making the company especially favorable for young and retired dietitians, Taylor said. To allow this, the company must comply with the license agreements of each state.

“The state license is continually the biggest hurdle that (competitors) will run into,” Taylor said.

Describing the alternative as an issue of putting the dietitian’s license at risk, Davis added, “We see people ignoring it because they say, ‘Well, it’s telehealth.'”

The company’s new focus on home care came as COVID-19 upended the medical landscape. Between March and September 2020, the firm experienced a significant drop in revenue, which Davis attributed to the suspension of elective proceedings.

But he found that many full-time dietitians were approaching his company, seeking a change from hospital life.

“We have Instagram influencers in the dietitian space who have worked for us and shared their stories about traveling the country,” Davis said. “They like to be associated with a company founded by dietitians, focused on dietitians, and truly there to champion their profession.”

The company is on track for 55 percent growth this year, he said.

In addition to the expanded career opportunities it offers, the new focus on private care was also spurred by what Davis described as a growing limitation of patient care in medical institutions. According to Davis, COVID-19 prompted hospitals to cut costs.

“Unfortunately, a lot of outpatient services are being cut,” he said, describing a frequent practice of giving patients fact sheets instead of practical help. Similarly, nutrition services have a limited amount of coverage under insurance like Medicare, she added.

“We hope that (Dietitians On Demand) can be a resource for people who have been recently diagnosed,” Davis said.

Before the direct-to-consumer approach, Davis said, Dietitians On Demand never had to deal with insurance from a staff perspective. Despite a time-consuming application process, he sees the company’s adoption of insurance matters as a value proposition for dietitians: employees can fully focus on helping customers without having to deal with the financial and bureaucratic aspects of the profession, compared to those who run their own practice.

The company also provides educational and informational materials for dietitians, who must receive 75 hours of educational credits over a five-year period to maintain their certification. As an accredited provider, Dietitians On Demand produces educational resources for dietitians to recertify and stay informed about the industry.

Although she noted a growing demand for dietitians, Davis said staffing shortages could continue as the process to become a dietitian becomes more challenging. Originally, promising interns were required to have a bachelor’s degree and a one-year internship. Now they can’t go on without a master’s degree and face a limited number of internship opportunities, Davis found.

Davis said he was encouraged to expand the company’s network services to other medical occupations, such as nursing, but said the plan is to keep the company focused on dieticians.

Looking ahead, Davis said he envisions Dietitians On Demand further advancing prevention efforts and encouraging healthier lifestyles.

Taylor added, “I wish people would talk about nutrition and its impact on overall health with the same seriousness that we talk about mental health. It affects everything.”