MEDICAL PRACTICE

Digestive Center For Wellness

I’m Dr. Robynne Chutkan, a gastroenterologist educated at Yale and Columbia and the author of 4 bestselling books on digestive health. I’ve been a practicing gastroenterologist on the faculty at Georgetown University Hospital for over 25 years, and you can find out more about me HERE.

My Medical Practice

In 2004 I founded the Digestive Center for Wellness (DCW), an integrative gastroenterology practice located in Washington DC, to provide answers to a critical health question: why? Why is your gut inflamed? Why do you have bacterial overgrowth? Why did you develop Crohn’s? Why are you bloated? My goal is to try and uncover the root cause of your digestive distress and find integrative solutions to heal your gut, instead of relying on pharmaceutical quick fixes with undesirable side effects that don’t always provide lasting relief.

DCW has been my clinical lab for almost 2 decades, allowing me to deliver innovative care to thousands of patients, while developing effective treatment protocols for common GI complaints like constipation and heartburn; emerging conditions like leaky gut and SIBO; and complex autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.

My Approach

One of my passions is helping people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) get their symptoms into remission without the use of immunosuppressive agents like steroids or biologics. In addition to IBD, I treat patients with a wide range of digestive disorders, from mild bowel irregularity to serious diseases like colon cancer. Many of my treatment pathways focus on rehabilitating the gut microbiome through diet and lifestyle modifications, but I am not a functional medicine practitioner, and my focus is strictly on digestive disorders.

I believe in a “food as medicine”approach and try to avoid prescribing drugs whenever possible. When medication is unavoidable, I usually recommend a “bottom up” approach where I start with the least toxic option and work my way up from there – always in combination with a thoughtful look at nutritional needs and habits.

Availability

I am available for 2^nd opinion consultations. This appointment is designed for people who are seeking more comprehensive information about their symptoms or diagnosis, have not achieved optimal results with previous therapies, or are looking for a more holistic approach to their GI problems. All visits are currently virtual.

I am unable to provide urgent or emergency care or be your treating gastroenterologist. All patients should have a primary care provider and/or a local gastroenterologist for ongoing care.

Insurance

In order to be able to spend more time with you during your consultation, I am an out of network provider for all insurance and Medicare. My office will provide you with a superbill after the appointment that you can submit to your carrier. Reimbursement will depend on your individual plan and deductible.

Please note that if you live outside of DC or Maryland where I’m licensed to practice medicine, I will not be able to provide medical care and your appointment will not be eligible for insurance reimbursement.

Returning Patients

If you were a previous patient – welcome back! You have two options for scheduling a follow-up appointment: 30 minutes or 60 minutes. If it has been longer than five years since you were last seen by Dr Chutkan, or your GI problem requires a bit more time, you should schedule a 60 minute appointment. All appointments are currently virtual. Please also read through our updated patient information and FAQs below.

30 Minute Follow-up Appointment

60 Minute Follow-up Appointment

New Patients

If you are interested in becoming a patient please take a moment to review the following appointment information, fees, and FAQs. If you think the practice is a good fit for you and you’d like to schedule a consultation, please email us at DigestiveCenterforWellness @gmail.com with the following information:

Name
Cell phone number
Address
GI problem you need help with

You’ll receive a message from our office within a week letting you know whether we’re able to support you in achieving your digestive health goals and next steps for scheduling.

Appointments & Fees

New Patient Initial Consultation:

A 75-minute virtual appointment that includes:

Cost: $1,500

FAQS

Is Dr Chutkan a functional medicine doctor?

No. Dr Chutkan is a board-certified gastroenterologist with an integrative approach, which means that she considers all the factors that can affect your gut health, as well as all the different ways what’s going on in your gut may affect other aspects of your health, but she is not a functional medicine practitioner.

Why can’t Dr Chutkan be my primary gastroenterologist?

Dr Chutkan is currently practicing on a part-time basis a few days a week while she continues to develop educational programming around digestive health. She’s able to review your history and records thoroughly before your appointment, give you her full attention during your consultation, create a personalized treatment plan for you, and communicate with your referring doctor or medical team. In addition to your initial visit, she is available for scheduled follow-up appointments.

Do you perform food sensitivity testing?

We do not perform general food sensitivity testing, although we do test for specific disorders such as celiac disease, lactose intolerance, etc. We can refer you to an allergist or immunologist if we think food sensitivity testing would be a valuable part of your GI evaluation.

Do you do microbiome testing?

When microbiome testing and analysis is necessary we recommend non-profit “citizen scientist” research labs such as The Center for Microbiome Innovation rather than commercial for-profit labs.

Do you do parasite testing?

Yes. We use an international parasite research facility that specializes in parasites of the gastrointestinal tract and skin.

What if I have a question after my scheduled appointment?

Non-urgent questions will be addressed at your next visit. For more urgent concerns a phone follow-up appointment is recommended. We do not provide medical advice via email.

How will I be billed for my visit?

Payment for your visit can be made when you schedule your appointment.

Will my appointment be reimbursed by insurance?

After your appointment we will provide you with a “superbill” that describes the services you received as well as proof of payment. You may submit the superbill directly to your insurance company for reimbursement. Each insurance plan has different policies around reimbursement by out of network providers, so if you have more specific questions, you should contact your insurance company.

Does your office participate with Medicare?

Dr Chutkan has opted out of Medicare, which means that you may not submit a claim for any services provided by our office to Medicare and/or any secondary insurance and they will not cover any portion of your appointment with Dr Chutkan.

What records should I send before my appointment?

We are interested in any previous GI evaluation, including office notes from other doctors, recent lab results, colonoscopy, upper endoscopy, pathology reports, CAT scans, ultrasounds, gastric emptying studies, testing for celiac disease, microbiome testing, stool studies, history of antibiotic use, records from hospitalizations or surgeries, etc. If you are a returning patient you do not need to send any records we previously had access to but should send any new reports since your last visit.

Will Dr Chutkan be available to do my endoscopy or colonoscopy?

Dr Chutkan is not currently performing procedures. If an upper endoscopy or colonoscopy is required we can make a referral to one of our colleagues at Georgetown or to a gastroenterologist in your area.

Do I need a referral to see Dr Chutkan?

The need for a referral is determined by your insurance plan. Please check with your insurance company whether a referral is required prior to scheduling an appointment.

Does Dr Chutkan see children?

Dr Chutkan is an adult gastroenterologist and does not see people younger than 18.