Talk to Your Doctor

If they aren’t yet familiar with Kate Farms, we have lots of resources to help them learn about our products. Direct them to the clinicians section of katefarms.com where they can review product offerings and suggested clinical use indications, get in touch with a sales person, or contact us to speak with one of our on-staff registered dietitians. Make sure to let your doctor know why you are interested in trying Kate Farms. Your nutrition preferences are important, and they’ll only know about them if you share! If they are familiar with Kate Farms, you’ve knocked out the first step – awesome! Reiterate why you are interested in Kate Farms.

Your doctor will recommend the right formula or shake based on your nutritional needs. If you require a special type of protein based on how your body responds to food, your doctor may suggest one of our peptide formulas, for example. If you need a lot of calories to support weight gain or maintenance, your doctor may recommend a formula with a higher caloric density.

This will be important for you to know as you embark on your formula journey, but also important for insurance coverage purposes. Most insurance companies will only cover formula if it’s deemed “medically necessary” by a doctor.

If formula will be your sole-source of nutrition, meaning it will make up your entire diet because you cannot eat anything else, it will likely be covered by insurance (except for Medicare, which will not cover sole-source nutrition unless it’s through a feeding tube). If your doctor is recommending formula in addition to a partial solid food diet, find out if they consider it medically necessary, or simply a supplement suggestion. If it’s medically necessary, there is a better chance for insurance coverage. If not, your best option will be to purchase your formula online.

This question will help set expectations for your medical nutrition journey including costs, insurance coverage, and usage. If you will be using formula for less than three months, insurance coverage is not likely, and we’d recommend purchasing online. If it will be long-term, coverage is much more likely, and it’s worth checking to see what formula benefits you have. You may start out without coverage options, but over time, qualify for coverage. It never hurts to check if your situation changes.

If you are having difficulty affording your formula, please contact us. We may be able to help.

A prescription alone may be enough for insurance to cover our standard formulas, but not enough for them to cover our peptide formula. For that, the insurance company may require additional clinical notes and the home medical supplier will need to reach back out to the doctor’s office for the paperwork to continue verifying your benefits, which can delay the process. Knowing ahead of time which product your doctor will be requesting and asking them to include all related medical necessity documentation when sending over the prescription will be helpful in ensuring you receive the coverage to which you are entitled.

If your doctor’s office isn’t clear on which home medical supplier would be the best fit for you, contact us. We can help guide you on where your prescription should be sent based on your insurance.

To download prescription forms or Letters of Medical Necessity for your insurance company you can find them in our Get Started hub.