Key Points:
- Both Fay and Culina Health offer online dietitian services covered by health insurance.
- Fay empowers users to choose from 4,000+ dietitians with comprehensive filtering options to find the exact right fit.
- Culina Health employs a small group of dietitians who mostly work with patients referred by physicians.
Looking for more support on your health journey? Whether you’re navigating a chronic condition or just want to feel healthier, working on your diet is one of the best ways to take control of your health and finally meet your goals.
But you want to be sure you’re working with a real expert who can provide evidence-based guidance and ongoing support for true, transformational change. Registered dietitians are the most qualified nutrition experts out there. And the good news is, there are platforms out there to help you find expert RDs who accept health insurance to make this service as accessible as possible.
Fay and Culina Health are two online nutrition counseling platforms that connect users with registered dietitians for personal nutrition services. Both platforms accept health insurance to get your care covered. Read on to learn more about each platform and what makes each stand out to support your nutrition and health goals.
Fay vs. Culina Health at a glance
| Fay | Culina Health | |
| Insurance coverage | Covers 700+ insurance plans | Works with major providers |
| Number of providers | 3,600+ | 80+ |
| Offers mobile app | ✔ Meal logging and goal tracking, 24/7 provider chat | ✔ Provider video chats, food and activity tracking |
| Care approach | Care can be determined by the client or the provider | Focuses on physician referrals |
| Offers custom nutrition services | ✔ Every RD takes a completely custom approach tailored to your health concerns and goals | ✔ |
What is Fay?
Fay connects individuals with board-certified registered dietitians for nutrition counseling. Sessions are available both virtually and in person across all 50 states. The platform focuses on matching patients with dietitians who specialize in specific health conditions or wellness goals for completely custom, evidence-based services.
All providers in the network are vetted Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs). Fay works with most major insurance carriers to help cover the cost of care, including:
- Aetna
- Anthem
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Cigna
- Humana
- Select Health
- United Healthcare
How it works:
- Provider matching: Search for a dietitian based on your specific health needs and insurance coverage.
- Cost estimates: Fay provides an initial estimate of out-of-pocket costs, which is confirmed after insurance is billed.
- Easy scheduling: Meet with your provider in person or virtually from the comfort of your own home.
- Insurance filing: Fay handles the billing and claims process directly with insurance providers on your behalf so you don’t have to worry.
What is Culina Health?
Culina Health is a group of registered dietitians that works with patients online primarily through referring physicians.
The Culina Health Method™ is the platform’s proprietary care method developed from research, best practices, and practical experience. The method follows six core values: accessibility, inclusivity, trust, science, collaboration, and innovation.
Here’s how Culina Health works:
- Get matched with a registered dietitian.
- Get insurance coverage validated.
- Do your initial 60-minute intake with your RD.
- Continue meeting your RD for 45-minute sessions and use the Culina Health app for ongoing support between sessions.
Compare Fay vs. Culina Health benefits
Fay and Culina Health both offer virtual dietitian services, but how each matches you with a provider and how much choice you have varies. Learn more about each platform to see which is right for your health goals.
Expertise
Fay
Fay provides highly specific search tools that allow you to filter the dietitian network by several criteria to ensure a great match.
Beyond basic location and insurance compatibility, you can narrow your search by specialty, gender, identity, language, and cultural cuisine. Fay dietitians cover:
- Metabolic health for weight management, including GLP-1s
- Behavioral nutrition, like eating disorder recovery and intuitive eating
- Digestive wellness, like gut health protocols and food sensitivity management
- Medical nutrition therapy for diabetes and hypertension
Culina Health
Culina Health prioritizes the patient-physician-dietitian connection, with most of its patients coming from physician referrals. All Culina Health dietitians are Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.
Culina Health focuses on cultural competency in nutrition care and aims to match the diversity of its clients with the diversity of its providers.
Insurance coverage
Fay
Fay accepts 700+ insurance plans across all 50 states, including all major insurance providers.
If your insurance plan requires pre-authorization, you can ask your dietitian if they can handle this for you so you don’t have to worry.
Culina Health
Culina Health works with Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and United Healthcare, and more.
Provider network
Fay
Fay boasts a network of 3,600+ specialized dietitians. All providers go through a rigorous four-step vetting process to confirm they are both qualified and have a proven track record. Fay also measures and monitors providers’ ongoing outcomes to ensure consistent excellence.
Dietitians who work with Fay operate independently and own their own practice. Every provider is a board-certified Registered Dietitian Nutrition, the highest level of qualification you can have as a nutrition professional.
Culina Health
Culina Health has a small team of 80+ registered dietitians. It focuses more on physician referrals and healthcare partners. While Culina Health accepts most major insurance providers, the size of its team may make it difficult to find an RD with your desired specialty and availability.
Cost
Fay
Fay clients pay as little as $0 per session with insurance (compared to $150+ per session without insurance coverage).
Fay offers a pricing estimation tool that uses your insurance information to get the most accurate estimate possible:
- Fay verifies the validity of your insurance and the eligibility and coverage with your insurer;
- Available cost-sharing details (such as copays or deductibles) are reviewed;
- Fay generates the most accurate estimate possible based on returned data.
Pricing depends on several factors, including your specific insurance plan, deductibles status, how the insurer applies copays, and more.
Culina Health
Culina Health offers both insurance coverage and membership options for those who can’t or prefer not to use health insurance. It works with major health insurance providers, like Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and United Healthcare. The membership options start at $99/month and go as high as $229 per month.
Availability
Fay
With Fay, all RDs work virtually and many work in person as well. You can filter search results based on your preference.
When browsing dietitians, you can see every provider’s availability on their profile, so you know exactly who’s available and when. This makes it easy to compare two providers’ specialties, ratings, and availability. You can either book directly through each profile from the search result page, or go through Fay’s matching service to find a provider who matches your needs..
Culina Health
Culina Health dietitians only work online. You can browse their small team of dietitians, but in order to see RD’s availability, you have to go through their form. Culina Health dietitians work both 1-on-1 and in groups. Due to the small team size, it may be difficult to find a provider who matches all your criteria.
App
Fay
Fay offers a comprehensive mobile app that keeps you connected to your dietitian between appointments, helping you stay on track with your goals.
The chat function is open 24/7, enabling easy communication between you and your RD. The app encourages steady progress with daily to-dos, which you can customize yourself based on your goals, or your RD can help set.
You can also log meals (including photos), track symptoms, and share your latest wins and concerns.
Culina Health
The Culina Health app is primarily designed to stay in touch with your RD between sessions. Your RD will share your care plan in the app and set goals accordingly, which you can track and mark as completed.
How to choose the right nutrition service provider
Finding the right dietitian for your needs is a very personal process. You want someone with the right skills but also someone who you can get along with and build trust. When comparing options, these factors can help inform your decision:
- Cost and insurance: Coverage will vary by insurance provider and plan, and your final price often isn’t 100% confirmed until after your first appointment. Input your insurance information to get your estimated cost to see if the service is accessible to you.
- Specialty: All dietitians are qualified to offer nutrition services, but many choose to specialize in a particular area. Look for an RD who focuses on your area of concern. Many nutrition services that allow you to filter by specialty or need to find the right dietitian for you.
- Availability and scheduling: Some RDs only work online while others also offer in-person services. Consider what kind of support you want and when you want to meet, whether it’s during the day, in the evenings, or on the weekends.
- Additional benefits: Working with a dietitian is more than just a meal plan or weekly appointment. Ongoing support is crucial for lasting success, so look for platforms that offer mobile app support, helpful resources, and robust features like meal tracking.
Ultimately, the right platform is one that pairs you with a dietitian who specializes in your needs, prioritizes thoughtful and personalized support, and accepts your insurance.
Final thoughts
Both Fay and Culina Health offer high-quality nutrition services with solid insurance coverage. For those looking to be referred to a dietitian by their physician, Culina Health is a good option. If you want more agency over your health journey and the option to choose from thousands of providers with their own specialties, Fay is the right platform for you.
The right choice depends on your insurance coverage, budget, and priorities. What’s most important is finding the right support to meet your health goals and be your healthiest self.
Start your nutrition journey today.
The views expressed by authors and contributors of such content are not endorsed or approved by Fay and are intended for informational purposes only. The content is reviewed by Fay only to confirm educational value and audience interest. You are encouraged to discuss any questions that you may have about your health with a healthcare provider.
