Getting Started

Eating disorder program details - what to expect
when you come to the Mandometer clinic 

You (or your child) can defeat anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders -- with the right help and training. Here are the details about how our program works:

 

STEP 1

Call us to speak directly with our Clinic Director - and get all your questions answered without cost or obligation 

 

 Your eating disorder recovery begins with your first phone call, and that is far too important to delegate to a salesperson. That's why we not only allow you to speak to one of our case managers, we insist.

We can either schedule a telephone meeting or (if you are local) a face-to-face meeting at our Clinic in San Diego.

Our case managers are highly experienced in consulting with patients and parents who are dealing with every imaginable eating disorder problem. While they cannot give medical advice over the phone, they can help you decide if the Mandometer Clinic is right for you. We've helped patients from around the world, from mild to severe cases.

 

The Case Managers will: 

  1. Answer your questions about anorexia treatment and/or bulimia treatment, costs, insurance, etc.
  2. Talk with you about your unique situation
  3. Tell you whether or not they feel our program would be right for you
  4. If you like, help you decide whether a formal patient assessment is an appropriate next step

If you decide to move forward and begin anorexia and/or bulimia treatment, a two-day patient assessment at our outpatient eating disorder clinic in San Diego is usually the next step. (More about that in a moment.)

If the patient is very severe and currently hospitalized, the first priority will be to stabilize the patient's health. Our Clinical Director will discuss several "transition strategy" options with you.

To schedule your no-obligation consultation, call (858)-451-1008, or email us.

 

STEP 2

We will help you through the physician referral, insurance reimbursement and payment process (as appropriate)

Health insurance may pay for a portion, or sometimes all, of your care. If your plan is an HMO, you will need a referral from your family doctor. If you do not have a family doctor, we can help you find one who has experience with eating disorder patients.

Whether your insurance company's "pre-approval" process is easy or difficult, we will help you navigate through it. Click Here for Insurance and Payment Options

Keep in mind that while insurance companies sometimes pay for nearly 100% of our care, more often they will pay for only a portion. Furthermore, some patients have no insurance benefits available, and must pay for all services "out-of-pocket." If necessary, we have skilled people on staff who can work with you to locate any necessary funding. We even offer credit card billing and 3rd party payment plans.

 

STEP 3

On-Site Patient Assessment (Examination and Evaluation)

Actual anorexia treatment and/or bulimia treatment can only begin following an intensive patient evaluation at our eating disorder clinic, which typically lasts about two days. (If necessary, we will help you with travel logistics including a referral to one of several area hotels.)

Here is what will be included in the assessment:

 

  • Review of the patient's medical records
  • A telephone consultation with the patient's doctors (when appropriate)
  • Thorough physical examination by our Medical Director, including necessary tests such as blood work
  • BMI calculation (Body Mass Index)
  • Written questionnaire
  • Oral interview
  • Live eating evaluation

 

STEP 4

Presentation of your eating disorder treatment plan

At the conclusion of your two-day visit, the Clinic Director will prepare and present a detailed anorexia and/or bulimia treatment plan. It will include specific goals, timelines and estimated costs of treatment. You will know exactly what to expect going forward, should you elect to accept our recommendations and begin eating disorder treatment.

 

STEP 5

Eating Disorder Treatment Commences

Our anorexia treatment and bulimia treatment programs are highly individualized depending upon each patient's needs. (For example, the more motivated a patient is, the faster she will complete eating disorder treatment.) However, here is how our eating disorder program works:

Outpatient eating disorder treatment

While the Mandometer Clinic is technically a "partial hospitalization program," most people refer to it as an outpatient eating disorder program.

Patients usually start our program full time, visiting our Clinic 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. Patients do not stay at the Clinic overnight or on weekends.

 

As they progress, the time commitment is gradually lowered, so that patients can begin returning to everyday life, including school, work, recreation and social activities. Eventually, patients return to the Clinic only once a month for a couple of hours (or less).

 

Housing

Because most patients require housing during eating disorder treatment, the Mandometer Clinic contracts with nearby apartments. These furnished apartments are attractive, comfortable, and within walking distance of the Mandometer Clinic. If the patient is a minor, a family member will need to stay with her.

Please note that even local patients will usually require housing for at least several months. This is because over time, anorexics and bulimics usually develop strong, negative associations and rituals within their home environment. For example, a patient may have a ritual of climbing the staircase 30 times every time she sees it. Getting away from the home environment gives patients the opportunity to break out of their negative cycles.

Anorexia Treatment/ Bulimia Treatment period

Our program is not a quick fix. It has taken years for you or your child to develop the eating disorder, and it will take time to conquer it. However, you will see a positive change in just a few months. Many of our patients with severe eating disorders are considered free of symptoms after 4-6 months of eating disorder treatment, and most are free within 12 months of anorexia treatment and/or bulimia treatment.

Discharge and follow up

Patients are discharged from the program entirely when appropriate. Mandometer Clinics follow up with patients for a period of five years following their successful completion of the program.

Your eating disorder recovery team

A multidisciplinary clinical team will work with the patient (and her family) to get her better. This team typically consists of:

 

  • Eating Disorder Recovery Manager. Once a patient starts the program, she will begin working with her "Eating Disorder Recovery Manager." The Recovery Manager will:

    - Act as the patient's advocate and partner
    - Function as the center point of the patient's recovery team
    - Work closely with the patient to come up with appropriate short and long-term      goals.
    - Communicate with the patient's family, as appropriate
    - Motivate and inspire the patient to take responsibility for her own life
    - Help the patient to successfully complete the program and defeat her eating disorder forever

     

  • Medical Director - Louis Maletz, MD

 

  • Other eating disorder recovery team members. May include a pediatrician, internal medicine doctor, psychiatrist, nurse, nutritionist and other support staff.

Eating with the Mandometer - the key to beating eating disorders once and for all.

The Mandometer Clinic eating disorder program exclusively utilizes the Mandomete®, a computerized, a hand-held biofeedback device that helps patients re-learn how to eat normally. 

With the help of the Mandometer, patients discover how much they should eat, how fast they should eat, and what the proper level of fullness feels like. In the end, patients maintain a healthy, nutritious diet that they control to avoid becoming over or underweight.

For more details about the Mandometer, click here.

Patient Warming

Because eating disorders cause the body to lose its ability of keep warm, the Mandometer Clinic includes a unique warming component.

The idea is to help the patient stay warm and comfortable until the body regains its natural ability to keep warm. Plus, warming calms the patient and helps the body retain the precious calories it will need to rebuild itself to a healthy state.

After eating, patients relax and rest in special warm rooms. They also receive their own heated The North Face™ jackets, which they can wear anywhere.


No drugs, no endless psychotherapy sessions, no fattening up, no blame, no bullying

What we DON'T offer is just as critical to your success as what we DO offer. For more on this, please
read the 7 Criteria You MUST Consider When Choosing An Eating Disorder Treatment Program

Day-to-day life at the Mandometer Clinic

New friends are a big help. New patients immediately meet others who are working to defeat anorexia and/or bulimia. The environment is very supportive, friendly and caring. In fact, lifelong friendships between patients often emerge from our program.

Rest and Relaxation. Particularly during early stages of eating disorder treatment, patients need to regain their strength and energy, without a lot of physical movement. Our anorexia and bulimia treatment center is stocked with many DVDs, audio CDs, books, magazines, games and other tools to help patients pass the time as they begin their recovery from anorexia or bulimia.

Tutoring. If you are still in school or college, we may recommend that you take a break from your studies when you first come to the Mandometer Clinic. However, we provide professional teachers to help you catch up in your studies, so that when you return to school, you can jump right back into things.

Excursions. As patients begin to make progress, they are reintroduced into the real world through excursions. That means trips to the mall, days at the beach, movies, theater, horseback riding, etc.. Excursions are critical in the mid to late stages of eating disorder treatment to help patients get back to normal life. They are also great rewards for a "job well done."

Hair and Makeup. As women and girls begin to recover from their eating disorder, they appropriately want to improve their appearance to catch up with the changes in their bodies. At the Mandometer Clinic, we help them do just that.

Work. Adult and late teen patients are encouraged to go back to work when they are ready and able.

What do we mean by being in remission?

The Mandometer Clinic Eating Disorder Treatment Program has been demonstrated to be extremely effective with 75% of our patients reaching full remission. No significant effect of any other treatment for serious cases of anorexia or bulimia has been reported for any other treatment.

Here is what we mean by full remission:

 

  • Normal eating behavior
  • Normal weight
  • Normal blood and urine test results
  • Normal psychiatric status
  • Back to school, or work and engaging in recreational activities
  • Food and weight are no longer regarded as problems
  • For bulimia, no more binge eating and purging

 

Plus you will be followed for a period of five years after eating disorder treatment to ensure that you do not relapse.

To find out more about the Mandometer Clinic
or to learn how to enroll in the program,
call us at 1-888-306-2636, or email us.


For more information about our eating disorder programs, including
anorexia treatment and bulimia treatment, call (888) 306-2636.