Helping your patients get eating disorder care that works
As a healthcare professional, we know you want to get your patients into the right care, quickly. Here’s what you can expect when referring a patient to Equip.
Contact methods
Information we'll ask for
• Patient Name
• Parent/Guardian Name (for young patients only)
• Contact Phone Number
• Patient DOB
• State of Residence
• Insurance Plan (Optional)
• Patient ID (Optional)
Step 1: Reach out to Equip
Here are all the ways to refer—and the information we’ll ask for when you contact us.
Information we'll ask for
• Patient Name
• Parent/Guardian Name (for young patients only)
• Contact Phone Number
• Patient DOB
• State of Residence
• Insurance Plan (Optional)
• Patient ID (Optional)
Step 2: Equip contacts the patient
After this initial referral, our admissions team will carry out the rest of the enrollment process. Within one day, we will reach out to the patient or their family to talk to them about Equip treatment. We’ll verify their insurance coverage and medical readiness. We also update referring providers at each step to ensure you're informed.
Step 3: Treatment can begin
Once your patient is cleared for treatment, they’ll immediately begin meeting with their Equip care team. From there, we maintain ongoing collaboration with referring providers, keeping you updated on key milestones. We also provide a live nurses line you can utilize at any time.
Why Equip Built by clinical experts and people with lived experience, Equip is designed to help patients of all ages achieve lasting recovery from home.
Why Equip is different
We rigorously monitor outcomes and utilize evidence-based treatment modalities (e.g., CBT-E, DBT, FBT, TBT-S). Care plans are tailored to meet each patient's unique needs, including co-occurring conditions.
Each patient has access to a dedicated care team who address every angle of the eating disorder, supporting as needed with therapy, nutrition counseling, medical care, psychiatry, and mentorship.
Equip is fully virtual and covered by insurance; expanding access to specialized, culturally competent eating disorder experts regardless of a patient’s location or background.
Instead of uprooting and moving through different levels of care, our virtual treatment enables patients to stay in their community and with their dedicated Equip care team throughout recovery, reducing the likelihood of relapse.
Learn more about our treatment approach
Frequently Asked Questions
We know how difficult it can be to find treatment that works, is affordable, and fits the needs of your patient and their family.
We’ve done our best to answer family and providers’ most frequent questions so that you can be informed and confident in your choice. If you still have questions, please reach out to us.
Initial signs of an eating disorder may include changing eating habits, cutting out food groups, and skipping meals. In general, if you’re concerned about a patient it’s best to refer them to an eating disorder program for a free assessment. Early intervention carries a better prognosis for eating disorder recovery, so the earlier a patient can be diagnosed and begin treatment, the better. You can learn more about when to refer a patient.
We treat patients of all ages and all eating disorder diagnoses in all 50 states. Our providers are trained to treat patients with all types and subtypes of eating disorders in the DSM, including anorexia, ARFID, bulimia, binge eating disorder (BED), and OSFED, and we also treat patients without an official eating disorder diagnosis. As long as patients are medically stable, we can begin treatment.
Many of our patients experience comorbidities, and our clinicians are trained in treating these alongside the eating disorder. In fact, the majority of our patients present with one or more comorbid conditions, which are addressed over the course of treatment.
Equip redefines the fragmented eating disorder treatment landscape, offering evidence-based treatment throughout a patient's entire journey to recovery. Rather than segmenting patient treatment by acuity level (requiring step-down from one setting to another), Equip provides integrated, flexible treatment that meets patients where they are. Learn more about Equip's level of care here.
We monitor each patient's medical status throughout treatment, either through virtual medical monitoring or by collaborating with in-person medical providers, depending on a patient's needs. By closely tracking weight, vitals, and other markers as necessary, we're able to ensure that all patients can safely be treated at home.
For patients who are medically vulnerable, we require an in-person medical clearance exam before beginning treatment at Equip. This typically involves a visit to their primary care provider for a physical exam and to check weight, height, orthostatic vitals, labs, and/or an EKG. After they are medically cleared (using the criteria from the American Psychiatric Association Practice and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine), we continue to monitor medical status during their time at Equip. Visit our provider resource center for more details on how to medically evaluate a patient for eating disorder treatment.
Length of treatment varies from patient to patient, but the average patient in remission discharges after 51 weeks. This may sound long, but the length of treatment is specifically designed to prevent relapse, which is so common for these illnesses. Additionally, since patients go through treatment from home, treatment doesn’t impede their lives or the lives of their loved ones, and many of our insurance partners provide coverage for at least a year.
Generally, treatment begins as a high-touch process with several appointments per week, and gradually becomes a lower-touch experience as each patient moves through their treatment journey and toward recovery.
Questions? We can help
Our team is ready to provide answers and support you directly.
Learn about our info sessions