1. Private Practice Nutrition:
Managing Multiple Priorities
Bonnie Y. Modugno, MS, RD
More Than Food, Inc.
November 4, 2012

2. What does private practice
mean to you?
 _____________
 _____________
 _____________
 _____________
 _____________
 _____________

3. What does private practice
mean to you?
 Creativity
 Autonomy
 Freedom
 $$$
 Fun
 Fulfilling

4. What does private practice
mean to you?
 Total responsibility
 Creativity
 Make all your own
 Autonomy decisions
 No paid vacation,
 Freedom
sick leave, etc.
 $$$  Unpredictable
income
 Fun  Isolation
 Fulfilling  No security

5. Questions to ask yourself
 What skills do I presently possess?
 Inventory your capacity for self motivation
—especially when things are not going
well
 Assess your ability to promote yourself
and your services
 Determine your need for flexibility vs.
stability

6. Questions to ask yourself
 How confident am I that I can do this?
 What is my motivation?
 Is now the time?
 What does success mean to me?

7. Bonnie Y. Modugno, MS, RD
1. Preparation:
1. Public Health Nutritionist
2. Nutrition Instructor: SMC, UCLA Extension
2. Stepping into private practice
1. NutritionWorks Nutrition Counseling (DBA)
 Office shared with 5 psychotherapists
 Previous space in home, gym, sports medicine facility
 Best work influenced by process orientation of therapy
 1:1 counseling
 Referral by word of mouth, physicians, therapists
 Fee for service

8. Bonnie Y. Modugno, MS, RD
More Than Food, Inc
1. Food and nutrition consulting
 Restaurant and food service consulting
 Menu consultation
 Staff in-services
 McDonald’s Owners of Southern California (MOASC)
 PR firm, advertising, regional office consultation
 Staff in-services; presentations
 Media Support
 Public speaking
 Expert Witness
 Family law practices; child nutrition cost and adequacy
1. LA County

9. Bonnie Y. Modugno, MS, RD
More Than Food, Inc
 Author
 Book chapters
 Fitness video inserts
 Lay periodicals
 Handouts
 Professional publications
 Public Speaking
 Continuing education for professionals
 In-services at worksites
 Community presentations

10. Private Practice:
Integrating Personal and Professional Philosophy
 Our bodies are much better prepared to adapt to scarcity
 We have not figured out how to handle abundance
 We have created an environment of indulgence
 We live in a society that values efficiency and convenience
 It takes conscious commitment to eat well and live an active
lifestyle
 Most people are challenged to consistently eat well in this
environment

11. Working with McDonalds
 Corporation
 Owner/Operators
 Market Coops
 Advertising
 Public Relations

12. The new look of fast food: McDonalds
Salads and More: A MOASC Initiative

13. McDonalds
 Menu Choices
 Variety: Extra Value Meal Options
 Happy Meal Option
 Swap fries for apple dippers
 Swap sodas for milk, juice
 Extra Value Meal Options
 Swap fries for side salad, apples, parfait
 Swap regular sodas for bottled water or other beverage
 Eliminated Super Size French fries and soft drinks
from national menu as of 2004
 2011 Happy Meal

14. The beginning
 Prior experience
 6 years in public health
 3 years teaching at SMC
 Network
 1 referral source
 Structure
 Worked out of home
 Prepared forms
 Billing
 Records
 Handouts

15. Building the practice
 Set up office in gym
 Trade out for space
 Marketing
 Mentorship

16. Growing the business
 Teach less, speak more
 Expanded referral sources
 Networking
 Referral source
 Web site
 Word of mouth
 Previous clients
 ADA List serves
 Business contacts
 Many false starts
 I grew up
http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/0002-8223/PIIS0002822305022224.pdf

17. Financial reality
 Overhead
 Rent, parking
 Office furniture/equipment
 Supplies/Materials
 Fees and taxes
 Business
 Professional
 Benefits
 Vacation/sick leave
 Medical/dental/life insurance
 Unemployment/disability/retirement/
 Lack of insurance reimbursement
 Medicare
 Third party payers

18. By the numbers
 What will you charge per hour?
 Self employed people engage in revenue
generating activities 900-1350 billable hours
a year
 $______/hr X _____hrs = $_______/yr

19. By the numbers
 What will you charge per hour?
 Self employed people engage in revenue
generating activities 900-1350 billable hours
a year
 45 working weeks per year
 20-30 hours per week
 Costs of doing business
 @ $2000/mo office/business expenses
 @ $1600-2000/mo benefits

20. Practice today
 Historically strong practice, but not always
what I thought it would be
 Variable hours, income stream
 Compliment private practice with public speaking,
corporate consulting
 Do my best work everyday to earn client’s trust,
respect and loyalty
 Flexibility, variety are the best benefits

21. Private Practice Nutrition
Questions and Answers
Closing Remarks