MEDICAL PRACTICE

Digestive Center For Wellness

WELCOME! I’m Dr. Robynne Chutkan, a board-certified gastroenterologist educated at Yale and Columbia, the author of 4 bestselling books on digestive health, and the host of the Gutbliss Podcast. I’ve been a practicing gastroenterologist in Washington DC on the faculty at Georgetown University Hospital since 1997 and you can find out more about me HERE. I’m excited to learn more about your digestive health journey and see how I can be of assistance.

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 welcoming back existing patients and accepting new patients. I offer 2nd opinion consultations for people who are:

Seeking more comprehensive information about an existing GI condition
Want to make sure they are on the appropriate treatment path
Have not achieved optimal results with previous therapies
Looking for a more holistic approach for their GI condition
Have GI symptoms but no clear diagnosis

I am available for scheduled appointments but am unable to provide urgent or emergency care or be your primary gastroenterologist. All patients seen in the practice should have a primary care provider and/or a local gastroenterologist whom they are able to contact for urgent concerns. We are an adult gastroenterology practice and do not see patients under 18.

RETURNING PATIENTS

If you were a previous patient – welcome back! We are so excited to resume your digestive health care. You can click on the booking links to schedule a 30 or 60-minute follow-up appointment. If it has been longer than 5 years since you were last seen in our practice we recommend a 60-minute appointment. Please also read through the patient information below.

Schedule a 30-minute follow-up appointment:

Schedule a 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. If you think the practice is a good fit for you, click on the link below to schedule an appointment:

INSURANCE

In order to be able to spend more time with you during your consultation, we are an out of network provider for all insurance. Our 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. 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. We do not participate with Medicare, which means that you may not submit a claim for our services to Medicare and/or any secondary insurance and they will not cover any portion of your appointment.

APPOINTMENTS & FEES

New Patient Initial Consultation:

This is a comprehensive 75-minute in-person appointment that includes:

Cost: $1,500

Follow-up Appointments:

Follow-up appointments can be in-person or virtual and are available to new patients after their initial consultation and to existing patients who have been seen in our practice in the past. If it has been longer than 5 years since your last visit, we recommend a 60-minute follow-up appointment.

Cost: $500

Cost: $1000

PRACTICE LOCATION & INFORMATION

Location: We are located in Washington DC at 1430 K St NW, #102. Our office has a separate entrance on K street immediately adjacent to the building lobby.

Parking: The closest parking garage is less than 1 block away at 1425 K St NW and can be accessed via the alley a few doors east of the office. Additional public parking is available at 930 14th St NW and 1025 Vermont Avenue NW.

Metro: The McPherson Square metro stop is one block away at 1400 I St NW (blue, orange, silver lines).

Procedures & Testing: We offer comprehensive microbiome analysis, breath testing for SIBO and intestinal permeability, stool testing for parasites, as well as lactose intolerance and celiac disease evaluation. We do not perform general food sensitivity testing. We work closely with our radiology colleagues for GI imaging procedures such as ultrasound, CAT scans, MRI, MRE, HIDA scans, gastric emptying studies, etc. Dr. Chutkan is not currently performing endoscopy and colonoscopy. If you require an endoscopic procedure we can refer you to our colleagues at Georgetown or to a gastroenterologist in your area.

MEDICAL RECORDS

If you are a new patient we are interested in all 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, records from hospitalizations or surgeries, etc. If you are a returning patient, please send any new reports since your last visit. Records can be uploaded to our patient portal once you have scheduled an appointment or faxed to us at: 771-222-1240. Please send all records at least 48 hours before your appointment so we have time to review them thoroughly.