Telemedicine’s Evolution and Expanding Access to Obesity, Specialty Care

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with George Jones, chief operating officer at UpScript Health, an online pioneer of eprescribing 20 years ago, to learn how telemedicine has progressed from asynchronous conferencing to real-time video consultation, enabling the treatment of complex conditions beyond primary care. Although technology access remains a challenge for some, Jones emphasizes telemedicine’s potential to reduce wait times and improve efficiency, especially for conditions requiring specialist care.

A major theme in the telemedicine space is access to obesity treatments, particularly glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications like semaglutide, which was recently included on the second list of drugs for price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act. We also discuss how Medicare’s limited obesity coverage may reduce the impact of these negotiations, advocating for policies and step therapy models that can help to lower patient costs, and the regulatory concerns associated with compounded GLP-1s as an alternative, knowing that these medications are prepared outside FDA oversight.

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