> The prescription hurdle is absolutely necessary

You're totally missing the point thought. The prescription hurdle effectively does not exist. It's just a paywall.

You pay your $100, get a 3 minute call with a NP/PA/whomever, and basically the robot writes you a prescription for whatever you want. The point is you pay and you get the prescription. Patient safety has nothing to do with anything.

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kube-system 15 hours ago | parent [-]

It's cheaper for most people to get the prescription written at a PCP.

The advantage to a telehealth is not getting the prescription written -- it's that they'll fill it for cheap through a tiny compounding pharmacy that is making it, technically illegally, but are small enough to be off the FDAs enforcement radar for the moment.

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phil21 14 hours ago | parent [-]

I have used both my PCP and telehealth for prescription writing, never once have I used a compounding pharmacy.

It's slightly cheaper for me to use telehealth vs. billing through my insurance. The downside is it doesn't go towards my deductible of course.

The stuff you are describing are entire supply chains of a sort where you want a GLP-1 or perhaps a few other things like TRT. Those you are signing up for the drug itself, which happens to include the prescription part with it.

Telehealth can be used for any old medication you want. It removes the permission slip part of the process and replaces it with a payment gateway. If you have $75-150 you can just click some buttons and have a prescription for nearly anything you want at most a day later. This includes antibiotics, ADHD meds (getting harder on these), certain benzos, etc.

HIMS/HERS/etc. and their smaller ilk are super popular, but they are the tip of the iceberg.

Telehealth providers can certainly work with compounding pharmacies but not necessarily. If you are looking to get a prescription for Diazapam you are going to be getting that sent to your local Walgreens or whatnot.

	▲	kube-system 10 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> It's slightly cheaper for me to use telehealth vs. billing through my insurance. How? Usually PCP visit are cheap and everyone gets one for free. > HIMS/HERS/etc. and their smaller ilk are super popular, but they are the tip of the iceberg. > Telehealth providers can certainly work with compounding pharmacies but not necessarily. Yeah I’m aware there are a whole host of services telehealths provide but the primary reason people use them for GLP1s is to avoid the name brand cost.