Nutrition’s role in healing seems to no longer be up for debate.
And a national conversation reignited this a few weeks back when RFK Jr. proposed cutting federal funding to medical schools that don’t expand nutrition education. While it's easy for anybody to get behind the fact that nutrition education is important these days, the proposal misses a key reality: the problem isn’t awareness or education...it’s implementation.
Physicians know nutrition matters. But most don’t have the time, tools, or processes to actually support their patients in effectively implementing it.
Awareness Isn’t the Issue. Time & Priorities Are.
Most surgeons already believe in the value of perioperative & medical nutrition. But belief doesn’t translate to behavior if there’s no time, structure, or system to deliver real support.
- Surgeons (and even their existing staff) don’t have extra hours to counsel patients on all the ins-and-outs of diet and nutrition, the pros/cons of specific food choices, ways of implementing good food into existing diets, etc.
- Many clinics also lack an integrated referral pathway to dietitians.
- Educational handouts are helpful, but often generic & impersonal leading to one outcome... being thrown on the kitchen counter and eventually out with the trash.
These policies are simply asking physicians to shoulder more of the load, without giving them the true resources they need to solve the problem at hand. And as a result, patients will continue to fall through the cracks.
The Wrong Solution? Overloading Physicians
The proposal by RFK Jr. made headlines by suggesting medical schools be penalized if they don’t expand nutrition education. While the intention is admirable and easy to get behind, the plan misses the point.
We don’t need to turn doctors into dietitians.
We need to find ways to support physician workflows and build systems that make it easy for patients to receive meaningful nutritional support when they need it most. A good example of this is within their surgical prep & recovery journey.
SurgicalRx: Bridging the Gap Between Education and Execution
At SurgicalRx, we’ve built our platform specifically to address this gap in care and to get ahead of the oncoming wave ahead. Our programs provide clinically guided, patient-facing nutrition support at a time when it matters the most (before and after major surgery). Designed through extensive collaboration between registered dietitians and orthopedic surgeons, we don’t stop at education. We offer:
- Evidence-based nutrition protocols tailored to surgery type and patient needs
- Supplement bundles that address real, specific deficiencies and inflammation
- Personalized daily checklists that empower patients through ease-of-use, gratification, and progress tracking
- 1:1 surgical prep coaching by trained experts in the field to further motivate patients and keep them engaged in their journey through surgery day
It’s the future standard of surgical care and we’re working with clinics nationwide to build it now.
The Policy Wave Is Coming
You can already see it in motion:
- Value-based care models are starting to reward outcomes, not volume
- Payers are recognizing the ROI of preoperative optimization
- Hospital systems are piloting nutrition screening programs
- Public figures are pushing for broader systemic reform
Soon, perioperative nutrition won’t be optional, it’ll be expected. Clinics that wait will be left scrambling.
SurgicalRx is helping providers get ahead of the curve with a ready-to-use, patient-centered model that integrates seamlessly into existing workflows.
Let Surgeons Focus on Surgery. Let Us Handle the Nutrition.
We’re not here to add work to the healthcare system's plate.
We’re here to take it off and place it into the hands of an expert team dedicated to supporting patients nutritionally, physically, and emotionally from pre-op to full recovery.
The data is undeniable.
The implementation challenge is real.
The solution is ready.
Let’s change surgical outcomes—one plate at a time.