The Best End-of-Summer Deals at Walmart — Up to 81% Off
A. Pawlowski
People who want to lose weight with a GLP-1 drug can choose from an ever-growing number of telehealth companies offering the medications online.
To help consumers decide which option is best, U.S. News & World Report unveiled its first-ever ratings for the best telehealth platforms for GLP-1s on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
About 11% of Americans now take a GLP-1 for weight loss, a new high, according to Gallup.
Most still get the medication from a primary care doctor or specialist, but 17% of those with a prescription use an online provider, a KFF poll found.
“It is kind of the Wild West,” Gretel Schueller, managing editor of health at U.S. News & World Report, said on TODAY.
“Dozens of telehealth platforms are now selling GLP-1s. They are not all created equal. In some cases, there’s very little clinical oversight and support. Our ratings basically help guide people who are interested in buying them safely.”
Using a website can be convenient because it lets people skip in-person appointments, expanding access for those who have limited time or trouble getting to a doctor’s office, research has shown. But this approach has also sparked concern about the level of medical support patients receive from virtual visits.
Some GLP-1 direct-to-consumer platforms offer “impersonal care that prioritizes quick prescriptions over comprehensive care,” Yale University experts cautioned in a research letter published in July in JAMA.
One patient recently told TODAY she blamed a telehealth doctor for prescribing an incorrect dosage and causing a GLP-1 overdose that sent her to the hospital. She said the only communication with the online provider was done via email.
To find the best telehealth platforms, U.S. News & World Report focused on 20 companies that offer online access to brand-name GLP-1 drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration such as Wegovy, Zepbound and Foundayo.
Companies that only offer compounded GLP-1s were not included because those versions of the drugs are not reviewed by the FDA for safety or quality, Schueller noted.
Using a combination of research by U.S. News & World Report staff and customer surveys, the outlet then rated the platforms on six metrics: clinical support, screening rigor, transparency, insurance assistance, supplemental care and customer satisfaction.
Customer ratings of those categories were taken into account based on a survey of 1,251 U.S. adults who used a GLP-1 from a telehealth platform in the past year.
After crunching the numbers for the 2026-2027 rankings, these 11 companies achieved top ratings from U.S. News on a five-point scale, with 5 being the highest.
“All of the 11 though earned top marks when it came to aspects of patient safety,” Schueller said.
The U.S. News & World Report ratings also included recognition for “individual standouts” in four categories on a five-point scale:
This category covers the availability of video telehealth appointments with health providers; if the platform requires baseline blood work and offers side effect support, such as anti-nausea medication; and follow-up frequency and response time to patients’ inquiries.
“With Found, you work with a board-certified clinician who specializes in obesity medicine, along with health coaches and dietitians. You get monthly video consults with your doctor, as well as lab work and side effect support,” Schueller said.
Companies were rated on whether they accept insurance, flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts, and the availability of insurance concierge services.
“Insurance coverage for GLP-1s can be pretty complicated, so having a platform that takes care of prior authorization and other paperwork can be really helpful,” Schueller said.
This was based on whether patients have access to nutrition and diet support, an app with progress tracking and an online community.
“We think of these as sort of miracle drugs, but the truth is, you’ve still got to do the work,” Schueller said.
“Exercise is important to prevent muscle loss. When you lose weight quickly, you can lose muscle. Nutrient deficiencies are not uncommon with people in GLP-1s because you’re eating so little. So making sure you eat the right foods, get enough protein is really key.”
Noom offers plenty of support, including one-on-one dietitians, recipes and exercise videos, she noted.
This was determined by how patients rated their experiences, as well as their likelihood to recommend the company.
Some of the top comments on Ro were about the ability to communicate quickly and easily with a healthcare provider, very transparent cost and medication information, and speedy delivery, Schueller said.
People who want to use a telehealth option to get GLP-1 drugs should choose a company where it’s easy to reach a medical professional, Dr. Fatima Syed, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University and a medical weight management specialist at Duke Health in Durham, North Carolina, previously told TODAY.com.
“If you have a question, who do you ask? Who’s on call for you?” she said, advising patients find out the answer before signing up.
“And that there’s clarity of communication, and really that you’re not alone at all in the journey.”
Make sure you’re getting a real-time interaction with your clinician, ideally a video consult, not just an asynchronous chat, Schueller added.
Clinical oversight is key, so get a thorough medical history checkup and blood work before you’re prescribed a GLP-1, and keep your primary care doctor in the loop, she advised.
“You want to make sure the treatment is appropriate for your body by testing kidney and liver function. After all, these are prescription medications. They have side effects. For some people, they carry real risks if you have certain medical conditions or a certain health history,” Schueller said.
The challenges of weight loss with GLP-1 drugs include side effects like nausea; nutritional deficiencies as people eat less; and muscle and bone loss, according to a joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association and The Obesity Society.
Patients who are prescribed a GLP-1 — whether in-person at a doctor’s office or via a virtual telehealth visit — should receive “a thoughtful plan of care” that manages those challenges, plus offers nutritional and lifestyle counseling before, during and after the weight loss, the authors wrote.
A. Pawlowski is a TODAY health reporter focusing on health news and features. Previously, she was a writer, producer and editor at CNN.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLCApple®, Apple logo® and App Store® are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.