Medical Practice
Welcome!
I’m Dr. Robynne Chutkan, a board-certified 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 currently accepting new patients both in-person and virtually for 2nd 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.
I am available for scheduled follow-up appointments after the initial visit but am unable to provide urgent or emergency care or be your primary gastroenterologist. I recommend that all patients seen in the practice have a primary care provider and/or a local gastroenterologist whom they are able to contact for urgent concerns.
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. Virtual visits may not be eligible for insurance reimbursement, especially if you are located outside the DMV area (DC, Maryland, Virginia) where I am licensed to practice.
Returning Patients
If you were a previous patient – welcome back! You can click on the booking links below to schedule a 30 or 60-minute follow-up appointment. If it has been longer than 5 years since you were last seen we recommend a 60-minute appointment. Please also read through the patient information and FAQs below.
30 minute follow-up appointment:
30 MINUTE APPOINTMENT60 minute follow-up appointment:
60 MINUTE APPOINTMENTNew 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, the GI problem you need help with, and whether you’re interested in an in-person or virtual appointment. 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 appointment that can be scheduled in-person or virtually and includes:
- A thorough review of your health history and all pertinent medical records
- A 75-minute comprehensive consultation with Dr. Chutkan
- A detailed assessment and treatment plan that will be provided to you after the visit
Cost: $1,500
Follow-up Appointments:
Appointments can be scheduled in-person or virtually and are available to new patients after their initial consultation and to existing patients who have been seen by Dr Chutkan in the past. If it has been longer than 5 years since you were last seen we recommend a 60-minute follow-up appointment.
- 30 minutes $500
- 60 minutes $1000
FAQs
We are located in Washington DC at 1430 K St NW, suite #102. Our office has a separate entrance on K street immediately adjacent to the building lobby.
Yes. The closest parking garage is less than 1 block away at 1400 I St NW.
Additional public parking is available at 901 15th St NW or 1425 K St NW
Yes. The McPherson Square metro stop is one block away at 1400 I St NW (blue, orange, silver lines).
Yes. Dr Chutkan’s preference is always to see you in-person for your initial appointment so that she can do a thorough physical exam but if that’s not possible the appointment can be done via video chat or phone. Please note that virtual telehealth appointments are usually not reimbursable through insurance if you are outside of DC, Maryland, or Virginia, where Dr Chutkan is licensed to practice.
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.
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.
Yes. Dr Chutkan is available for phone appointments which can be requested through our patient portal.
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.
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.
Yes. We use an international parasite research facility that specializes in parasites of the gastrointestinal tract and skin.
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.
Payment for your visit can be made when you schedule your appointment.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dr Chutkan is an adult gastroenterologist and does not see people younger than 18.