Appointment Policies

By booking an appointment with Maria Lucey RD (Registered Dietitian), you are consenting that you understand the following information, including the risks and benefits of booking a telehealth consultation.

These policies are kept under regular review, and any updates are placed on this web page. This policy was last updated on the 1st of August, 2023.

Questions, comments and requests related to this privacy policy should be sent to info@marialuceyrd.com.

Disclaimer:

Telehealth dietetic consultations are run by Maria Lucey, a Registered Dietitian with the Health and Social Care Professionals Council in Ireland (CORÚ, membership number: DI019908). Maria Lucey is also a Member of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI, membership number: 1449).

Individual participation: You will receive an individualised nutrition plan based on your consultation. You are responsible for the implementation of this advice.

Maria Lucey adheres to the CORÚ standards for the Dietitians Registration Board, which includes a code of professional conduct and ethics.

Clients are entitled to partial reimbursement from most health insurance companies based in Ireland. Appointment receipts can also be used to claim for health expense relief via the Med 1 tax form in Ireland.

We ask for 24 hours’ notice for appointment cancellation in order to avoid a late cancellation fee of 50% of the consultation price.

Those who do not attend an appointment without providing any notice will be charged the full consultation fee.

See our full disclosure and privacy policy for further information about how Maria Lucey RD uses and protects any personal information collected from you when you avail of our services. We advise that you read this Privacy Statement in full to ensure that you are aware of your rights.

Information about Telehealth Consultations:

Telehealth dietetic consultations use video conferencing software in order to carry out dietetic appointments remotely. This differs from face-to-face consultation as we will not be in the same room as each other during the consultation.
For individuals who would rather not use video a telephone consultation can be provided, or a one way video call (where you can see the dietitian speaking to you but they cannot see you).
Some parts of the consultation involving physical examinations (i.e. body weight) may be conducted at your location, and we can discuss these measurements during the consultation.
The main benefits of telehealth consultations are increased flexibility for both parties in terms of timing and location of consultations.
The main risks related to telehealth consultations include technical difficulties, interruptions, unauthorised access or communication difficulties.
I will ensure that your privacy is protected by ensuring nobody else can hear the consultation and using secure and encrypted software.
If an issue arises with technology which we cannot fix during the consultation, we can revert to a phone consultation or rearrange the consultation if needed.

Consenting to Dietetic Treatment:

By booking an online dietetic consultation with Maria Lucey you are consenting to the following:

Consent for Dietetic Treatment via Telemedicine Appointment: You consent to this telemedicine appointment for dietetic treatment and any further telemedicine appointments that you book with Maria Lucey RD. You understand what telehealth consultations involve (based on the above information) including the benefits and risks of this approach. You understand that you or Maria Lucey can discontinue the telemedicine consultation if it is felt that the video-conferencing connections are not adequate for the situation.
Consent for Maria Lucey to contact you regarding your dietetic treatment: You give consent for Maria Lucey to contact you via email, text or phone call regarding your treatment. You consent for Maria Lucey to send you resources via email in relation to your dietetic treatment. You consent to receive appointment reminders via email and text.
Consent for Maria Lucey to contact your GP as part of your dietetic treatment where necessary:You consent for Maria Lucey to contact your GP where deemed appropriate as part of your dietetic treatment. Maria may also need to communicate with other health care professionals in order to improve your care or share treatment information if indicated. Explicit consent will be obtained before any such discussion with health care professionals.
Consent for Maria Lucey to handle and store your personal data: Maria Lucey will handle your personal data in a secure manner for the purpose of providing dietetic services to you, in accordance with GDPR and our data protection policy (see our full disclosure and privacy policy for more details).You understand this statement in relation to the use of your personal data (such as: contact details, medical information, body measurements, diet and lifestyle information) and are happy to proceed with dietetic treatment. You understand that by accessing clinical services from Maria Lucey, your data will be stored securely for eight years in accordance with the HCPC and CORU Standards for Records and Record-Keeping. For clients under the age of 18, records will be kept until your 21st birthday.

App Monitoring

For those who avail of the extensive follow-up package this includes access to a health and wellness app if desired. This will allow you to log your daily meals as well as other relevant health and wellness variables (such as gastrointestinal symptoms, sleep, bowel patterns, hunger feelings etc.) Your dietitian will be able to monitor your progress via this app between sessions, provide feedback and answer queries via secure messaging within an agreed timeframe.

Fees at the Clinic

€120 for an initial assessment (60-minute duration).
€50 for a follow-up/review consultation (30-minute duration).

20% discount available with for anyone with a valid ALONE Ireland volunteer identification card.

Communication Policy

Maria endeavours to communicate effectively with all her clients and to answer all genuine messages and emails in a timely manner. Response times will depend on capacity.

In the event of any technical difficulties during consultations, Maria may suggest restarting devices, trying a different device or using alternative software (e.g. doxy.me) or a phone call as a secure back-up option. If needed the consultation can be re-arranged if either Maria or the client feels the connection is not sufficient to adequately complete the consultation.

Maria has a duty of care to contact relevant authorities if you disclose information which suggests that you may be at risk of harming yourself or others.

Maria does not respond to messages or comments with no connection to nutrition or dietetics treatment.