I just joined Form Health, a telemedicine weight loss clinic

It’s Sunday morning and I just signed up for Form Health, a telehealth company specializing in weight loss management using GLP-1 drugs, such as Zepbound and Wegovy.

I basically spent all my time between my somewhat disappointing in-person doctor’s appointment on Friday afternoon and today researching which telehealth option was right for me.

Here’s why Form Health appealed to me

First and foremost, Form Health is recommended as a weight loss partner by Lilly Direct, a website from the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, maker of Zepbound. The site offers a more direct route to getting Zepbound via a telehealth option, in-person care, and pharmacy services.

Seeing as how the cumbersome process seemed to be one of the things that was holding my PCP back from prescribing Zepbound for me, I figured finding a direct path to weight loss specialists and a conduit to the drug itself would be the best way to start this journey.

Let’s look at what Lilly Direct offers in the realms of diabetes, migraines, and obesity.

Easy-to-schedule virtual visits

If, like me, you live in a rural area, finding the right healthcare partners to see in person can range from challenging to impossible. With telehealth, you schedule virtual visits whenever it’s convenient for you.

These companies are often also more tech-savvy than traditional doctor’s offices and offer other ways, such as in-app or on-site messaging, to communicate with your healthcare team beyond and in addition to virtual visits. If you’ve ever played phone tag with a doctor’s office, the idea of easy asynchronous messaging may sound ideal.

For weight management, LillyDirect has partnered with Boston-based Form Health Associates, a telehealth company specializing in weight management with a special emphasis on the proper use of GLP-1 and other medications.

Expert weight-loss doctors and registered dieticians

When you sign up for Form, you are matched with a board-certified weight loss doctor and registered dietician. They’ll meet with you (virtual video meetings), get a full medical history, and discuss what your next best step is on your weight loss roadmap.

Help with your insurance company

There’s also a care team that gets involved if your doctor prescribes a weight-loss drug. The care team will work with your insurance company through the often-required prior authorization (PA) process and once successful in getting a PA approval, they’ll send your prescription to your local or online pharmacy.

Real-world results

According to Form, “Patients enrolled for 18 months lose on average 16% of body weight when pairing medication with lifestyle modification. Patients may experience health improvements like lower blood pressure and reduced joint pain, while building confidence that they can keep the weight off with their new healthier lifestyle”

I liked the idea that patients like me were able to lose weight during an 18-month period. I did the math and that would work out to about 44 pounds in my case. While I need to lose much more than that, 40+ pounds is a very good start to achieving my total goal.

And, I loved hearing that it may be possible to reduce joint pain. Throughout the fall, I’ve had increasing hip, knee and ankle pain. I’ve heard anecdotal evidence that GLP-1 drugs such as Zepbound/Mounjaro and Wegovy/Ozempic help reduce inflammation. If that’s a side effect for me, I’d be thrilled.

An easy-to-use app and Facebook community

Form also has an app to help its patients track their weight, journal their food consumption, and find educational resources when they need additional support. Members also receive a smart scale that will communicate weight readings directly to the app.

And, if you’re a joiner, there is a private Facebook community for Form patients to connect with others going through the same process.

Form takes some insurance plans

Finally, I was thrilled to learn that Form is covered by some insurance plans, including the one I have from Cigna. Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and UnitedHealthcare also cover Form. If you are covered by those providers, Form doctor and dietician visits plus labwork should be covered. You pay your normal copay and deductible and any costs associated with the prescribed medication.

If you aren’t insured by those providers or don’t have insurance, you pay $199 a month for visits with the doctor and dietician as well as the app and educational resources. You’ll pay out of pocket for labwork and medication. The self-pay monthly fee is HSA/FSA eligible.

LillyDirect offers other telehealth recommendations if your diagnosis is something other than obesity. If you’re a Type 2 diabetic, the site will recommend 9amHealth. If your issue is migraines or cluster headaches, Lilly will recommend Cove.

In-person care option

Lilly Direct’s website also has a directory of local doctors you can contact if you’d like to see someone in person. I reviewed the list of providers in my area and many of them are not weight loss specialists. For example, my gynecologist is on the list. In fact, there were a lot of gynecologists on the list but no endocrinologists.

I thought that was strange so I dug a little deeper and found that the doctor directory is simply driven by Healthgrades, an aggregator of doctor information. So, this isn’t a list of weight loss specialists but just the doctors in your area. For this reason, I didn’t bother looking any further since I know what providers are near me.

LillyDirect Pharmacy Solutions

LillyDirect’s pharmacy option may be what you’re most interested in. The manufacturer of Zepbound now offers the option to order your medication direct through them. This can be a terrific option if you’re worried about the drug’s pipeline. Buying from LillyDirect means you’re getting it right at its source.

If you want to have your medication delivered to you via LillyDirect, ask your doctor to send your prescription to:

LillyDirect Pharmacy Solutions
NCPDP ID # 2648698

Ask your doctor to include your email address or mobile number with the prescription.

When you order from LillyDirect, you will submit your insurance information and they’ll take it from there. Lilly says it will even coordinate your prior authorization (PA) with your doctor and insurer. And, you can use the Zepbound savings card, too, if you meet the criteria.

LillyDirect delivers medication right to your home in a temperature-controlled package. (Remember, drugs like Zepbound should be refrigerated.)

LillyDirect offers several types of medications for home delivery. In addition to Zepbound, LillyDirect sells Basaglar, Emgality, Humalog, Humalin, Lyumjev, and Rezvoglar.

Overall, I was really pleased to see all the options offered at LillyDirect. For patients in certain situations, the telehealth and pharmacy options may save the day.