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Refer A Patient

Treatment Referral Resources

Thank you for considering Eating Recovery Center | Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center as a treatment resource for your patient requiring a higher level of care.

A therapist and patient together in an office

Our admissions process is designed with referring professionals in mind, and involves thorough assessment and information-sharing to ensure a holistic picture of the patient’s medical, psychological and social status. Our team involves you throughout the treatment process so you become educated, focused and knowledgeable about how to treat this illness and support the recovery of patients and families struggling with an eating disorder.

You have four ways to make a referral

  1. Contact our master’s level Clinical Assessment staff at 1-877-825-8584
  2. Email us at [email protected]
  3. Fax your patient's information to 425-974-1530
  4. Or click here to access the Quick Admit form.

Our is Clinical Assessment Team is available to answer any of your questions about the referral process, treatment programs and aftercare planning. Additionally, we invite you to see the FAQ section below for more information about our admissions process, insurance contracts and our commitment to engaging referring professionals in the treatment of their patients.

When to refer a patient

If one of your patients present with any of the following symptoms, we encourage you to consider referring them to a higher level of care.

Common Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa

  • Weight at/below 85% of ideal for age
  • Significant/dramatic decrease in normal growth chart curve for weight
  • Excessive or compulsive exercise
  • Bradycardia and/or orthostasis
  • Absence of, delayed onset of or sporadic/light menses
  • Fatigue, cold-intolerance, dizziness and/or hair thinning/loss
  • Sudden interest in “healthy” eating, vegetarianism, veganism

Important note: Patients with Anorexia Nervosa will often present with normal labs and vitals.

Common Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa

  • Bingeing more than once per week
  • Purging more than once per week
  • Purging behaviors can include: self-induced vomiting; laxative, diet pill and/or diuretic abuse; exercise; chewing and spitting of food; insulin misuse
  • Bradycardia and/orthostasis
  • Low normal to abnormal labs; can include electrolyte abnormalities

Important note: Patients with Bulimia Nervosa are often of average weight and deny physical symptoms.

Common Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Characterized by frequent overeating (bingeing)—at least once a week for three months—combined with feeling a loss of control, intense feelings of distress and three or more of the following behaviors:

  • Eating more rapidly than normal
  • Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
  • Eating large amounts of food even when not feeling physically hungry
  • Eating alone due to feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating
  • Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed or guilty after eating and/or between binges

Other Eating Disorders Symptoms

  • Medically stable to the extent patient does not require medical hospitalization. Requires structure and supervision in order to gain weight or cease eating disorder behaviors
  • Patient has limited social support
  • Patient is not improving, despite outpatient therapy

Thank you for considering Eating Recovery Center as a treatment resource for your patient requiring a higher level of eating disorder care.

Collaborating with Eating Disorder Professionals

At Eating Recovery Center we are fully committed to forging collaborative partnerships with our referring professionals, and we recognize the invaluable contribution providers bring to the admission, treatment and discharge process.

Even before your patient admits to Eating Recovery Center, our Clinical Assessment team will work with you during a rigorous pre-admission assessment phase to collect extensive information and insight to help our senior clinical team make an informed treatment recommendation, and establish preferred methods of communication to keep you engaged in the treatment process. Within the first 72 hours of your patient admitting into one of our levels of care, their primary clinician will contact you to provide status updates and discuss your involvement throughout the treatment process.

Referring professionals collaborating with Eating Recovery Center

Referring professionals are invited to participate in staffings with Eating Recovery Center’s treatment team and your patient throughout the course of treatment. While these meetings seek to inform you about your patient’s recovery progress and offer you an opportunity to share clinical wisdom, they are also designed to orient you to Eating Recovery Center’s treatment philosophy, model and interventions. Referring provider involvement allows for a seamless transition to outpatient care following discharge from treatment.

Designated ERC staff begin the creation of an Aftercare Plan at the time of admission, communicate with referring providers regarding the date of discharge, make appointments and ensure comprehensive understanding of the treatment the patient has received and the proposed post-discharge plan. Patients are referred back to their existing outpatient team, or provided referrals if they do not enter treatment with an existing team.

When referrals are needed for discharging patients, ERC staff utilize the National Referral Network Directory, which is extensive database of trusted providers with familiarity of Eating Recovery Center’s eating disorders treatment approach. Visit the National Referral Network to learn more about creating a member profile.

Admissions Process for Eating Disorder Professionals

Thank you for considering Eating Recovery Center as a treatment resource for your patient requiring a higher level of care. We are committed to engaging referring professionals in the treatment of their patients, and your involvement begins during the admissions process in the form of thorough assessments. These assessments help the treatment team create a holistic understanding of each patients histories, needs and challenges, and aids in the development of individualized treatment plans.

Please contact our Clinical Assessment department should you have further questions or if you would like to discuss the appropriateness of our programs for your patient. The Clinical Assessment team can be reached by phone 877-825-8584, via email by completing the contact form below or emailing [email protected], or by clicking the live chat icon at the top of this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q: How soon can my patient admit to Eating Recovery Center?

    The admission date for each patient is determined on a case-by-case basis. The admissions date is based on the availability of space within the necessary level of care, as well as situational factors including the patient’s medical status, acuity of their illness and past treatment history. Generally speaking, admissions for patients experiencing medical complications will be expedited.

  • Q: What is the required length of stay for a patient at Eating Recovery Center?

    There is no required length of stay in any of Eating Recovery Center’s levels of care. Our individualized treatment plans recognize the unique needs of each patient as they move along the spectrum of eating disorders recovery; therefore, we do not mandate a predetermined time commitment in our programming.

  • Q: What involvement will I have with the clinical team throughout my patient’s treatment?

    Eating Recovery Center is fully committed to the referring professional, and we encourage you to participate in your patient’s treatment to the extent you are able and comfortable. This collaboration can take many forms depending on your preferences—generally, referring professionals will request periodic progress reports for their patients by phone or email and/or they will participate in weekly meetings with the Eating Recovery Center treatment team. In the discharge phase of treatment, an Aftercare Coordinator will communicate with you regarding the post-discharge plan of care and provide detailed information about your patient’s treatment progress to support continuity of care.

  • Q: Will my patient return to my care following treatment at Eating Recovery Center?

    Eating Recovery Center is committed to the professionals that refer their patients to our care. We do everything we can to return patients to the referring professional upon discharge.

  • Q: What is the difference between Inpatient and Residential levels of care?

    These levels of care are very similar. The Inpatient program at Eating Recovery Center is designed to support acutely ill patients and those who are experiencing medical and mood instability as a result of their eating disorder. This level of care focuses primarily on weight restoration and medical/mood stabilization, and offers round-the-clock nursing supervision, direct psychiatric care and medication management. To the extent that patients are able, they are encouraged to participate in the treatment programming and engage with the supportive community of patients and staff. The Residential program is designed for patients that need 24-hour support, but that no longer need the medical support and stabilization at the same intensity as the Inpatient program. The Residential program offers round-the-clock observation and support, as well as daytime medical and psychiatric supervision. Both levels of care offer a structured schedule that incorporates groups, community meetings and individual therapy to model a recovery-based daily structure to help patients overcome their destructive routines, rules and behaviors.

  • Q: Do you accept insurance?

    Yes. Eating Recovery Center has contracted with several insurance companies. Our Business Office is committed to helping patients and families understand their insurance coverage and the financial obligations of eating disorders treatment, and serves as a liaison between families and third-party payers to ensure that insurance benefits are fully leveraged to make treatment financially accessible. Eating Recovery Center is contracted with the following providers:

    • Aetna
    • Blue Cross/Blue Shield
    • Cigna
    • Cofinity
    • Humana/Lifesynch
    • Kaiser
    • Moda Health Plan
    • Multiplan
    • PHCS Multiplan
    • Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP)
    • United Behavioral Health/Optum
    • Value Options
  • Q: Do you treat dual diagnoses?

    Yes. Eating Recovery Center has expertise in the treatment of eating disorders and comorbid conditions, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, diabetes, gastrointestinal illness and other organ disorders. Thorough assessment with patients and referring professionals in advance of admission help Eating Recovery Center’s treatment team develop an individualized treatment plan and select a multidisciplinary treatment team that effectively addresses all diagnoses.

  • Q: Do you have experience in treating high-profile patients with eating disorders?

    Yes. Eating Recovery Center’s team of multidisciplinary experts has vast experience in the treatment of eating disorders among high-profile patients, and has developed strict protocols to support the recovery of these patients while in treatment at our facilities.

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Eating Recovery Center is accredited through the Joint Commission. This organization seeks to enhance the lives of the persons served in healthcare settings through a consultative accreditation process emphasizing quality, value and optimal outcomes of services.

Organizations that earn the Gold Seal of Approval™ have met or exceeded The Joint Commission’s rigorous performance standards to obtain this distinctive and internationally recognized accreditation. Learn more about this accreditation here.

Joint Commission Seal