Knownwell Review: Price, Pros & Cons

Knownwell is a medical practice, not a mail-order program. You book a visit with an obesity-medicine clinician, by live video or in person at one of its clinics, and the clinician decides whether medication fits. Every visit is synchronous, so there's no questionnaire-only approval, and Knownwell doesn't ask for body photos.

Most patients go through insurance. Knownwell says it's in-network with most major commercial plans and puts its average copay for weight care at $25. If you're paying yourself, the visit prices are:

• Weight management first visit: $299
• Weight management follow-up: $149
• Nutrition counseling: $99 for the first visit, $59 after that

Self-pay patients pay when they book. There's no membership fee and no sign-up fee, and Knownwell says it doesn't discount self-pay visits.

The visit fee doesn't include the drug. Knownwell prescribes brand-name medications, including Wegovy as a pen or pill, Zepbound, Ozempic, Saxenda and the Foundayo pill, along with older non-GLP-1 options.

If your plan covers the drug, you pay your copay at the pharmacy, and Knownwell's insurance advocacy team works on prior authorizations. If it doesn't, Knownwell publishes a cash-price guide built from the drugmakers' own self-pay programs, so the figures shift whenever a manufacturer changes its offer. Patients on Medicare or other government plans need to fill through programs such as NovoCare or LillyDirect to get those discounts. Ask your clinician which route costs less for your dose before you fill.

First appointments run about 40 minutes and follow-ups about 20, and you see the same clinician each time. Follow-up visits are required to keep a prescription going, and how often depends on the drug and your plan.

The practice was co-founded by Dr. Angela Fitch, its chief medical officer. It offers weight management and nutrition counseling by video in all 50 states and runs in-person clinics in a handful of states. You must be physically in a state where your clinician is licensed at the time of a video visit, or the appointment can be canceled.

Cancel more than 24 hours ahead and there's no charge. Self-pay patients get a full refund in that case. Cancel with less notice, or miss the appointment, and you're charged $50.

• Insured shoppers who want a specialist and an appeal process for coverage.
• People who'd rather see a clinician live than fill in a form.
• Not a fit if you want compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide; Knownwell prescribes brand-name drugs.