Rhode Island

Yes — through a synchronous video visit. Rhode Island requires a real-time audio-visual encounter to establish the patient–provider relationship, but you do not need to visit a physical office. Your Pallas provider conducts a video consultation to evaluate eligibility and, if appropriate, writes a prescription that ships directly to your address.

Rhode Island Medicaid has covered GLP-1s for weight management, but the Governor's proposed FY2027 budget would end that coverage effective October 2026. Coverage for type 2 diabetes is unaffected. Pallas is a cash-pay telehealth service, so Medicaid formulary changes do not affect our pricing.

Yes. The Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline telemedicine guidelines require telemedicine providers to post licensure or identifying information on provider websites. Pallas publishes our clinical partners (Lion MD and CareValidate), medical leadership, and NPI numbers — with links to the federal NPPES NPI Registry — on our clinical disclosures page at pallashealth.co/clinical.

Most Rhode Island patients receive their medication within 2–3 business days of the pharmacy filling the prescription. Providence, Warwick, Cranston, and Pawtucket typically ship fastest.

Yes. Compounded semaglutide prescribed by a Rhode Island-licensed provider and dispensed by a licensed compounding pharmacy is legal when prepared for an individual patient with a documented clinical need. Pallas works only with U.S. state-licensed 503A and 503B compounding pharmacies.

Pallas is a cash-pay telehealth service — there is no insurance to bill. Your Pallas Membership covers your clinician's review, ongoing check-ins, and care-team messaging; the medication is billed separately and ships free to your Rhode Island address, only when a clinician prescribes it. You see your full price during intake before you pay anything — no surprise renewal markups. The price is the same whether you are in Providence, Warwick, or a rural Rhode Island ZIP code.

Eligibility is always decided by a Rhode Island-licensed clinician after your intake and video visit, never by an automated quiz. In general, GLP-1 medications for weight management are considered for adults with a BMI of 30 or higher, or a BMI of 27 or higher together with a weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or obstructive sleep apnea. Your clinician also reviews your medical history and current medications to confirm a GLP-1 is appropriate and safe for you, and will tell you if it is not.

Brand-name medications — Wegovy^® and Ozempic^® (semaglutide) and Zepbound^® and Mounjaro^® (tirzepatide) — are FDA-approved products from their manufacturers, offered cash-pay. Compounded medications are prepared on a per-patient basis by US-licensed compounding pharmacies, regulated under federal law (FDCA §503A) and by state boards of pharmacy, when a clinician documents a patient-specific clinical need. While these pharmacies are highly regulated, the compounded medications themselves are not FDA-approved, are not generic versions of brand-name drugs, and have not been evaluated by the FDA for safety, efficacy, or quality. Which option fits you is a clinical decision you make with your Rhode Island-licensed provider.

Yes, many patients transfer their care to Pallas. During your video visit you tell your clinician which medication and dose you take now and how you have tolerated it. Your Rhode Island-licensed provider reviews that history and, if appropriate, continues you at a comparable dose or adjusts your titration plan. Do not stop or change a prescription on your own — let your clinician guide any transition.

Most patients use a once-weekly injection with a very fine needle, but a compounded oral semaglutide tablet is available for people who would rather not inject. Both are prescribed only after a clinician confirms they are appropriate for you, and your provider can help you weigh which form fits your routine and goals.

The most common side effects are gastrointestinal — nausea, constipation, diarrhea, or reflux — and they are usually mildest when the dose is raised slowly, which is why clinicians titrate up gradually. GLP-1s are not right for everyone; they are avoided in people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2, and during pregnancy. Your Pallas clinician screens for these before prescribing and stays available to help you manage any side effects.

You complete a detailed online intake sharing your health history, goals, and current medications, then meet with a provider licensed by the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline over live video — Rhode Island requires this real-time visit to establish your provider relationship. After that initial visit, most ongoing care, including check-ins, dose adjustments, and refill questions, can be handled asynchronously by secure message. If a GLP-1 is appropriate, your prescription goes to a licensed pharmacy that ships to any Rhode Island address, usually within 2–3 business days.

Pallas care is ongoing, not a one-time script. Your plan renews on a regular cadence so your medication arrives before you run out, and your clinician schedules check-ins to monitor your response, adjust your dose, and manage side effects. You can message your care team, change your plan, or cancel anytime from your patient portal — no phone calls or retention hoops.

Compounded semaglutide injection through Pallas is $139 for your first month, then $597 every 12 weeks ($199/mo average). Cancel anytime. That one plan price includes your US-licensed provider, ongoing check-ins, dose adjustments, and unlimited care-team messaging — no separate membership fee. Medication ships free to any Rhode Island address, only if a clinician prescribes it, and you are refunded in full if a clinician decides treatment isn't right for you.

Compounded tirzepatide injection through Pallas is $179 for your first month, then $897 every 12 weeks ($299/mo average). Cancel anytime. That one plan price includes your US-licensed provider, ongoing check-ins, dose adjustments, and unlimited care-team messaging — no separate membership fee. Medication ships free to any Rhode Island address, only if a clinician prescribes it, and you are refunded in full if a clinician decides treatment isn't right for you.

Yes. FDA-approved Wegovy^® and Zepbound^® for chronic weight management — plus Ozempic^® and Mounjaro^® for type 2 diabetes — are available to Rhode Island patients cash-pay from $1069/mo; insurance is not billed. Whether a brand-name or compounded medication is appropriate for you is determined by a clinician licensed in Rhode Island during intake.

That is a decision you make with your clinician. Semaglutide activates the GLP-1 receptor; tirzepatide activates both the GLP-1 and GIP receptors. In the SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head trial of the FDA-approved products, Zepbound^® (tirzepatide) produced greater average weight loss than Wegovy^® (semaglutide) — about 20% versus 14% of body weight over 72 weeks. Clinical trial outcomes for the FDA-approved products have not been established for compounded preparations. Individual results vary. Semaglutide plans cost less and semaglutide has the longer post-market record; a clinician licensed in Rhode Island weighs your history, goals, and budget to recommend a starting point.