At the UCSF Nutrition Counseling Clinic, registered dietitians provide nutrition counseling to help treat and prevent disease through dietary changes. Nutrition counseling sessions are individualized to meet your needs and optimize your health and well-being.
We have two clinics in San Francisco — one at the Parnassus campus at 400 Parnassus Ave., fifth floor, and another at our Mount Zion campus at 1701 Divisadero St. on the fifth floor. When making an appointment, please make note of the location.
Dietitians in the Nutrition Counseling Clinic also offer nutrition counseling for children and for patients enrolled in the UCSF Weight Management Program. In addition, many outpatient specialty clinics offer on-site nutrition counseling.
During counseling sessions, the dietitian will provide:
The management of medical conditions through nutritional intervention is called medical nutrition therapy (MNT).
Common conditions in which nutrition intervention plays an important role include:
For those without a medical condition, the UCSF Nutrition Counseling Clinic also offers general nutrition counseling to promote wellness and disease prevention. This service does not require a referral from your physician or nurse practitioner. These appointments are self-pay only. Please call the Nutrition Counseling Clinic for more information.
Learn more about nutrition in our Patient Education section.
Nutrition Counseling Clinic at Parnassus
400 Parnassus Ave., 5th Floor, Ste. A550 in Endocrinology
San Francisco, CA 94143-0118
Appointments: (415) 353-4174
Office: (415) 353-2291
Fax: (415) 353-2648
Hours: Monday 9:00 – 11:45 a.m.
Friday 9:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:15 – 4:30 p.m.
Additional Locations
Nutrition Counseling Clinic at Mount Zion
This clinic uses UCSF MyChart, an online patient service. Message your provider, request medication refills, view some test results and more.
Nutrition counseling for medical nutrition therapy is not always covered as an insurance benefit.
If your doctor is a member of Hill Physicians or Brown & Toland Medical Group, your nutrition appointment will be preauthorized. For all other medical groups or insurance companies, it may be necessary to obtain preauthorization for nutrition counseling services. Please contact the company to determine if nutrition counseling services will be covered. You may be required to self-pay for your appointment if your insurance does not cover nutrition counseling for medical nutrition therapy.
Nutrition counseling appointments for wellness and disease prevention are self-pay only.
Please call the Nutrition Counseling Clinic at (415) 353-2291 if you have specific questions about self-pay fees.
To refer an adult patient to the UCSF Nutrition Counseling Clinic, please follow the steps below. To refer a pediatric patient, please visit our clinic's page on the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital website.
Please fax the following information to (415) 353-2648:
Nutrition counseling for medical nutrition therapy is often not covered as an insurance benefit. Patients should be informed that they may be required to self-pay if their insurance does not authorize nutrition counseling.
If the patient has Hill Physicians or Brown & Toland coverage, please submit a request for authorization. For other insurance plans, the patient should be instructed to contact his or her insurance company to determine whether nutrition counseling is a covered benefit. Authorization should be confirmed before an appointment is scheduled at the Nutrition Counseling Clinic.
Once you have sent the referral to the Nutrition Counseling Clinic and the insurance coverage is determined, ask the patient to call the Ambulatory Call Center at (415) 353-4174 to schedule a nutrition counseling appointment.
