U.S. News launches 2026-2027 GLP-1 telehealth platform ratings

U.S. News & World Report released its first-ever ratings of GLP-1 telehealth platforms on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, scoring companies that prescribe brand-name weight-loss and diabetes drugs online ^[1][2]. The 2026-2027 list gives 11 platforms a score on a five-point scale, led by Amazon One Medical at 4.8 ^[1][2].

The full ratings: Amazon One Medical 4.8, Found 4.6, Mochi Health 4.4, Ro 4.4, Noom 4.3, PlushCare 4.1, Fridays 4.0, Ivim Health 4.0, LifeMD 4.0, Remedy Meds 3.9 and WeightWatchers 3.9 ^[1][2]. U.S. News also named four category standouts, each scoring 4.9: Found for clinical support, Amazon One Medical for insurance support, Noom for supplemental support and Ro for customer satisfaction ^[2].

How the ratings were built

The health team at U.S. News identified 20 telehealth platforms that offer FDA-approved, brand-name GLP-1s in the U.S., naming Wegovy (semaglutide), Zepbound (tirzepatide), Ozempic (semaglutide) and Foundayo (orforglipron) as examples ^[1]. Companies that sell only compounded GLP-1s were excluded because those versions are not reviewed by the FDA for safety or quality, managing editor of health Gretel Schueller said ^[2]. Some rated platforms sell both branded and compounded drugs; in those cases the ratings covered only the brand-name side of the business ^[1].

Platforms were judged in six areas: clinical support, health screening requirements, cost and information transparency, insurance support, other support such as apps and nutrition help, and customer satisfaction ^[1][2]. Details came from company websites and, when possible, email exchanges with company representatives ^[1]. Consumer input came from a survey of 1,251 U.S. adults who had used a GLP-1 from an online telehealth platform in the previous 12 months, fielded by PureSpectrum between May and July 2026 ^[1][2]. In all, U.S. News says it collected 14,161 data points ^[1].

The published weighting gives clinical support 25% of the score, the health screening process 20%, transparency 17% and insurance support 15%; within clinical support, 20 points come from service details such as a video check-in with the provider, lab work and anti-nausea medication, and 5 points from customer-rated medical support ^[1]. The weights assigned to the remaining two categories, supplemental support and customer satisfaction, were not shown in the methodology text. U.S. News states that its journalists rate platforms using unbiased methodologies and that the company "may earn revenue from some companies, but this in no way affects the ratings" ^[1]. Several entries in the ratings table link to partner tracking URLs ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Online prescribing is now a meaningful slice of GLP-1 use. About 11% of Americans take a GLP-1 for weight loss, a new high, according to Gallup, and 17% of people with a prescription get it from an online provider, according to a KFF poll ^[2]. Most still get prescriptions from a primary care doctor or specialist ^[2].

Until now, shoppers comparing those platforms mostly found roundups with no stated criteria. The new ratings put specific, checkable items on the table: whether a platform offers a video visit with an assigned clinician rather than only asynchronous chat, whether it requires baseline blood work, whether it verifies weight and medical history, whether prices and available medications are posted on the site, and whether it offers insurance concierge help and accepts FSA or HSA funds ^[1].

Those items matter because oversight varies. "It is kind of the Wild West," Schueller said on TODAY, adding that in some cases "there's very little clinical oversight and support" ^[2]. Yale researchers wrote in a JAMA research letter published in July that some direct-to-consumer GLP-1 platforms offer "impersonal care that prioritizes quick prescriptions over comprehensive care" ^[2]. One patient told TODAY she was hospitalized after what she described as an incorrect dose from a telehealth provider she could reach only by email ^[2].

Dr. Fatima Syed of Duke Health has said patients should find out before signing up who is on call for them and how to reach a clinician ^[2]. Schueller pointed to real-time video consults, thorough medical history and blood work, and keeping a primary care doctor informed ^[2]. A joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association and The Obesity Society lists nausea, nutritional deficiencies, and muscle and bone loss among the challenges of GLP-1 weight loss, and says patients should get a "thoughtful plan of care" plus counseling before, during and after weight loss ^[2].

What happens next

U.S. News labels the list as the 2026-2027 ratings and shows an update date of Aug. 12, 2026 ^[1]. Whether scores will be refreshed on a fixed schedule, and whether more of the 20 platforms reviewed will be published, has not been disclosed.