Our Ranking Methodologies: How We Ensure Accuracy and Credibility
Our goal at Policy Lab is to provide our users with up-to-date insights into clinical trials and cutting-edge treatments that are available on the market. Over 75% of our subscribers struggle with some type of chronic condition, including diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and inflammatory diseases. Given the encouraging data surrounding GLP-1 use and the treatment of numerous obesity-related conditions, we have decided to create a dedicated section of our website to focus on providing information to our users on cutting-edge research and also insight into providers.
Our ranking methodology is designed to evaluate online GLP-1 treatment providers, including:
- Telehealth Platforms
- GLP-1 Pharmaceutical Providers
- Compounding Pharmacies
This list includes both FDA approved GLP-1 medications and compounded GLP-1 medications that are legally prescribed in specific patient circumstances.
Given the extremely encouraging data surrounding the positive effects of the drug for diabetes, there has been an influx of interest by individuals who are looking to utilize the drug for weight loss purposes. The GLP-1 category has even gone so far as to be described as a “wonder drug”. With this increase in demand has come an increase in questionable providers.
Who Are Our Eligible Providers?
Given the new GLP-1 telehealth and compounding pharmacy providers that are popping up every day, our team has completed a stringent analysis to only include providers that meet our specific qualifications. These include:
- Offer GLP-1 medications only after a patient has met with a licensed clinician
- Be a legal U.S.-based operator
- If they have pharmacy partners, clearly disclose those relationships
The red flags we looked for include:
- Advertising that is misleading
- Language or process that does not fully support clinician integration into the prescription process
- Providers that lack transparency
The Core Sections of Our Ranking Methodology
To provide more clarity to our users, we have created four core categories to review GLP-1 providers. These categories are:
- Medical Oversight: Is there a real board-certified clinician reviewing your medical history and prescribing the medication?
- Pharmacy Accreditation: Does the provider partner with 503A or 503B regulated compounding pharmacies?
- Pricing Transparency: Are there hidden membership fees, or does the price jump significantly as you increase your dosages?
- Access, Speed and Support: How fast is shipping, and can you actually reach a person if something goes wrong?
Medical Oversight
Policy Lab has a long and consistent history of providing clinical trials and treatment options that meet numerous health and safety requirements. Our primary goal is to ensure that our recommendations and treatment options provide our users with solutions that place their health at the top of our priority list.
We have used the following criteria to understand and rate our recommended providers:
- Patient communication must start with interactions with board-certified clinicians
- A thorough and complete patient history must be collected
- When applicable, additional screening must be provided prior to drug prescription
- Alignment with drug prescribing requirements
Pharmacy Accreditation
Many GLP-1 focused telehealth providers outsource the fullfillment of drugs to third-party pharmacies. This is a normal industry practice, but a lack of visibility into who these providers are, their approach to safety, and their reputation in the marketplace can exist. That is why we have decided to score providers and the pharmacies they use based on the following criteria:
For providers that prescribe FDA-approved brand-name GLP-1s:
- Ensuring the use of licensed pharmacies
- A documented history of responsible and accurate dispensing
For providers that prescribe compounded GLP-1s:
- Use of 503A or 503B compounding pharmacies
- Pharmacy partner transparency
- Documentation regarding quality, sterility and testing standards
Alignment with requirements for shipping, storage, and handling (where applicable)
Pricing and Cost Transparency
For consumers interested in exploring GLP-1s, sifting through the marketing language to truly understand pricing can be daunting. Telehealth companies have aggressively gone down the path of trying to one-up one another through the use of misleading language to try and capture a larger share of the market. This is why pricing, and specifically pricing visibility and clarity, is included as a factor in our inclusion and ranking criteria. Providers must include:
- Clarity regarding per dose pricing structure
- Visibility into how a per dose cost relates to a monthly cost
- Visbility into how a monthly cost relates to a total cost (based on average months use)
- Guarantees regarding any expected changes in pricing
- Clarity into any additional fees charged on top
- Clear visibility into cancellation or refund policies and processes
Access, Speed and Support
While not as important as the three previous factors, at the end of the day, patients want to know which providers provide the easiest path towards achieving their health goals. This is why the following factors are part of the final criteria for our inclusion and scoring methodology:
- Ease of onboarding an access to licensed clinicians
- Clarity of treatment options (using non-medical jargon)
- Once approved, time to fullfillment
- Shipping speed once drug fullfillment
- Availability of clinicians and continuity of care
Scoring Framework and Weighting
Based on feedback from our users, we have ordered criteria priority in this format:
Medical Oversight > Pharmacy Accreditation > Pricing Transparency > Convenience
Our initial ranking system assigns weights and scores to the following criteria according to their priority:
- Medical Oversight: Up to 3 total points
- Pharmacy Accreditation: Up to 2.5 total points
- Pricing Transparency: Up to 2.5 total points
- Access, Speed and Support: Up to 2 total points
This means that a provider can score up to 10 total points, with most providers scoring in the 7 to 9.5 range. Any providers scoring under 7 total points are not eligible to be included in our rankings.
Editorial Independence and Affiliate Disclosures
Some of the GLP-1 providers that we work with provide compensation for patients that we refer to them. We clearly note this disclosure in our rankings, and the estimated compensation per provider has no influence on the rankings themselves, as our expert reviewers and writers are unbiased.
What Our Rankings Cannot Account For
Our provider inclusion and ranking process cannot account for individual medical needs. It is the responsibility of the patient to fully research options and consult with a qualified medical provider prior to determine what treatment path is available and the best fit for their unique circumstances.
How These Rankings Should Be Used
These rankings should be used for informational purposes only. As always, we strongly encourage users to prioritize safety and to engage a licensed clinician before making decisions around potential treatment options.