Form Health
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Overall Rating4/5
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Products & Services4.5/5
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Cost4.5/5
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Ease of Use4/5
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Customer Support & Reviews4/5
- Free 15-minute consultation
- FDA-approved medications
- A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau
Form Health is one of many online medical weight loss programs designed to help people lose weight. Form Health connects you with a doctor, as well as a Registered Dietitian to help you make long-term lifestyle changes. In addition, the doctors will also prescribe medication, if needed, to help encourage weight loss.
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Services Offered by Form Health
Form Health wants to make sure its program is right for you. So, they do something no other online medical weight loss program does. They offer potential clients a free, 15-minute consultation to ask questions and see if the program is a fit. Unlike some weight loss programs, there is no age limit on participation for adults – you just have to be 18 or older. The program does require you to have an established primary care physician to begin Form and you have to have visited with them in the past 12 months.
I checked to see what it was all about by taking an online quiz to see if I’m a candidate for the program. I was asked my name, what state I live in, as well as my height and weight and if I have insurance. I was also asked why I’m considering Form and if I have any of the following conditions:
- High Blood Pressure
- High Cholesterol
- Type 2 Diabetes or Prediabetes
- Sleep Apnea
- Fatty Liver Disease
- PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
As part of the quiz, Form will give you an overview of the plan, which will include:
- Monthly video visits with the doctor you’re assigned
- Twice a month video visits with the Registered Dietitian you’re assigned
- Unlimited messaging through the Form Health app
- Educational materials and tracking tools
- Optional participation in the Form online community
- A personal scale shipped to your home to weigh yourself
I was asked for my email address and then given the ability to sign up with a credit card and get started. I decided to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. I was given three date options over the course of two weeks. Once I picked a date, I started getting reminders for the appointment. A few days out, you’ll be asked to confirm by email and text.
Form Health does something no other online medical weight loss program does. They offer potential clients a free, 15-minute consultation to ask questions and see if the program is a fit.
The consultation is a phone call with someone who works for Form. The person I spoke with had a clinical background but wasn’t a doctor or a registered dietitian. The call is mostly an opportunity for you to ask any questions you might have and then at the end they ask if you’re ready to sign up. I didn’t feel pressured and felt like the person I spoke to was very helpful and transparent.
After signing up, you’ll have an initial video consultation with a Form Health doctor who is board-certified in obesity medicine. During the consultation, you’ll discuss your medical history and weight loss goals. The doctor may order lab tests to help design a plan that’s right for you. You’ll then be matched with a Registered Dietitian who will create a nutrition, exercise and behavior change plan to help you achieve your objectives. You may also be prescribed medication to help you lose weight.
Once you’ve begun the program, your monthly video meeting with your Form Health doctor will be to make sure you’re on track and also to make any needed changes to your medications or weight loss plan. Your monthly doctor visit will be billed through your insurance.
FORM’s 4 Step Program
1. Nutrition
Form matches you with a registered dietitian so that you can work one on one to develop a personalized nutrition plan specific to you and your needs. They focus on incorporating foods including lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and certain starches and fats. The goal of this aspect is to try to help you develop healthy and sustainable habits when it comes to eating and nutrition.
2. Physical Activity
Form will partner you with a “Care Team” that will help you develop the exercise routines in a “realistic and enjoyable” manner. Exercise has numerous health benefits from altering your mood and physiology so the goal is to incorporate movement in various forms into your daily life. ways to fit regular movement into your life.
3. Mindset Shifts
You will also work with your designated Care Team to try and “reframe your thinking”. According to Form, this includes being able to identify your hunger cues and improve your relationship with food, with the goal of modifying your behaviors as well.
4. Medication
As another part of their program, Form also offers certain medications to those that qualify. You will meet with doctors as mentioned and they can prescribe you FDA-approved weight loss medication if right for you.
What Medications are Prescribed by Form Health?
f you qualify, you could be prescribed medications as part of your overall weight loss plan. In order to receive prescriptions, you must have a BMI of 30 or more. It can be 27 or more with certain health conditions (like high blood pressure or high cholesterol). Note that medications are only given if you’ve made lifestyle changes but still can’t lose weight.
All the medications prescribed by Form Health doctors are FDA-approved. The most common ones include:
Wegovy
Wegovy, also known as Semaglutide, is an injectable medication. It comes in an easy-to-use injection pen with a preset dose. It’s taken once a week on the same day at the same time. You’ll start with a low dose of 0.25 mg. Every four weeks your dose will be incrementally increased until you reach 2.4 mg – which is the maintenance dosage amount.
Saxenda
Saxenda, also known as Liraglutide, is an injectable medication taken once a day, at the same time. It comes in an easy-to-use injection pen. You’ll start with a low dose of the drug – 0.6 mg – and will incrementally increase the dose once a week until you reach 3.0 mg – which is the daily maintenance dose.
Contrave
Contrave is an oral medication. It’s a combination of the drugs known as naltrexone and bupropion. You have to take Contrave with food and at least eight ounces of water. You’ll start with one pill a day and incrementally increase your dose until you are taking two pills twice a day. The medication is recommended to be taken at breakfast and once at dinner. Contrave should not be taken with a high fat meal because it can increase your risk of having a seizure.
Zepbound
Zepbound contains the active ingredient tirzepatide, and is also a once-weekly injectable medication approved by the FDA to treat obesity. Zepbound is the newest addition in its category of weight loss medications. Zepbound affects both the GIP and GLP-1 hormones found in the appetite center of the brain by decreasing cravings which helps to reduce food intake. It offers 6 different doses that are” typically increasing on a monthly basis, beginning with weekly 2.5mg doses per pen, until reaching the maximum tolerated dose, which can be up to 15 mg.”
Form Health’s website has very detailed information about the medications they prescribe. Based on our research, you generally won’t see an online medical weight loss company go to such great lengths to give you information on the medications, the dosing, how the medications work, or the side effects you may encounter as we have with Form Health.
Form Health Results
Form Health says its patients lose at least 15 percent of their body weight in the first three months and lose up to 20 percent of it in six months. Moreover, Form now states that “patients lose 16% of body weight in 18 months on average”. However, more research is still emerging and should be evaluated.
Its medical staff consists of board-certified weight loss specialists. The company is a member of the Obesity Medicine Association, the Obesity Society, as well as the Obesity Action Coalition.
Form Health Customer Reviews
Form Health is accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has an A+ rating, but you won’t find any reviews or complaints filed with the consumer organization. On Trustpilot, you will find many glowing reviews of the company. Many patients name specific doctors and dietitians they are working with and are thrilled with the results they are seeing from the program. You will find a few negative reviews – mostly about insurance and medication issues.
Unlike many online medical weight loss programs, you will work with a Registered Dietitian. Many people see this as a huge plus, because it helps them understand what they should be eating. The tailored meal plan approach is effective in helping patients make lifestyle changes that lead to substantial weight loss.
Form Health Cost
Form Health is a membership weight loss plan for those who qualify and it can be canceled at any time. At $99 a month, it’s relatively reasonable compared to other online medical weight loss companies. Form does accept most major private insurances, as well as Medicare. You will be responsible for any co-pay or deductible, but the company will bill your insurance for your telehealth doctor’s visits, labs and medications.
You will need to check with your insurance company to see if they cover Form Health and the medication you will be prescribed.
If you do not have insurance or your insurance company doesn’t cover the program, Form offers a $199 a month, self-pay plan. That includes your telehealth doctor visits, appointments with your Registered Dietitian and unlimited messaging to your Form providers. Your lab work and medications will be out-of-pocket expenses.
Unlike many online weight loss companies, Form Health does offer a 30-day, money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied.
Form Health Company Background
Form Health was founded in Boston in 2019 by Evan Richardson. His mission was to offer telemedicine options to people who struggled with their weight. Richardson says he tried to start a similar program in 2010 but it wasn’t successful. He said now most people use a smartphone and have warmed up to the idea of telemedicine, so he was able to launch Form Health in 2020.
The Bottom Line on Form Health
Form Health takes a holistic approach to weight loss. You will work with a doctor and Registered Dietitian to make lifestyle changes that encourage weight loss. If the changes don’t seem to be working, medication will be prescribed to help you. The program is effective, reasonably priced and has shown to help people get the weight off and keep it off.
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