DENVER — With the demand for anti-obesity drugs continuing to soar and the provision of supportive care that is essential with their use lacking, the need for professional, highly skilled practices specializing in obesity medicine has never been higher, said an expert offering key recommendations for launching such a practice at the Obesity Medicine 2024 meeting.
Such scales require a bit of an investment, and insurance typically doesn't reimburse for body composition scale tests. Under that option, patients typically see the dietician three times in a row and then meet with the medical provider for a fourth visit.Lazarus' practice also offers an à la carte model, but he cautioned that a key caveat with that model is it can be a popular choice for patients whose main objective is only to obtain a GLP-1 prescription without much additional care.
In terms of educating patients on what to expect regarding potential hurdles in accessing the drugs, Lazarus suggested considering handouts describing the different medications, costs, availability, how to use them, side effects, reasons to call the office, and how to manage common side effects.However, he cautioned that this has caveats of its own in terms of costs and challenges in competing with the lower prices of high-volume retail pharmacies.
"It's an ethical issue," he said."Under the AMA code of ethics, you may not require patients to purchase anything from you, so that's important to keep in mind."While a well-designed website will be essential in promoting an obesity treatment practice and serving patients, Lazarus underscored a critical — and sometimes overlooked — consideration that the site must be compliant with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act .
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