Ro: A Comprehensive Look at the Telehealth Company and Its Weight Loss Program

Ro is a direct-to-patient healthcare company striving to help individuals reach their health objectives through accessible and effective care. As a vertically integrated platform, Ro uniquely provides nationwide telehealth, lab services, and pharmacy services, offering an end-to-end healthcare experience from diagnosis and medication delivery to continuous care.

Ro's Mission and Services

Founded in 2017, Ro aims to provide access to high-quality, affordable healthcare. The company's platform offers services addressing a wide range of health concerns, including sexual health, weight loss, fertility, skincare, and hair loss. Ro distinguishes itself by integrating telehealth consultations with prescription medication delivery and ongoing support.

Key Features of Ro's Platform

• Nationwide Telehealth Services: Ro connects patients with licensed healthcare professionals through online consultations, eliminating the need for in-person visits for many conditions.
• Integrated Pharmacy Services: Ro operates its own network of pharmacies, ensuring medications are dispensed and delivered directly to patients' doors. Prescription medications are sent from the company’s network of nationwide pharmacies and delivered directly to your door within 1 to 4 days.
• Comprehensive Care: Ro's platform offers holistic care, including diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing support, tailored to individual patient needs.
• Focus on Accessibility and Affordability: Ro aims to make healthcare more accessible and affordable by offering virtual consultations and direct-to-patient medication delivery.

Ro Body: A Deep Dive into the Weight Loss Program

Ro Body is Ro's weight loss program, which combines prescription medications with a curriculum promoting healthy habits. The company asserts that the program can help individuals lose an average of 15% to 20% of their body weight within 12 months. It costs $45 for the first month and $145 each month afterward, not including the cost of medications.

Components of the Ro Body Program

• Personal Coaching: Ro Body offers personal coaching from a dedicated health coach.
• Metabolic Lab Test: The program includes a metabolic lab test through Quest Diagnostics, or an at-home collection kit for an additional fee.
• Ongoing Support: Patients receive ongoing support from a healthcare professional, including up to 24 video sessions per year.
• Online Curriculum: A step-by-step online curriculum helps users build healthy habits, with lessons focused on nutrition, sleep, emotional health, and exercise.
• Insurance Concierge Services: Ro provides insurance concierge services to help determine whether prescribed medications may be covered by insurance.
• Access to GLP-1 Medications: For those who qualify, the Ro Body Program includes access to prescription weight loss medications, such as Wegovy, Zepbound, Saxenda, and Ozempic (prescribed off-label).

GLP-1 Medications and Ro's Partnership with Eli Lilly

Ro offers several GLP-1 medications that have received FDA approval for weight loss, including Wegovy, Zepbound, and Saxenda. While Ozempic is only approved for treating type 2 diabetes, doctors can sometimes prescribe it off-label for weight loss.

Ro has partnered with Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Zepbound, to offer access to Zepbound single-dose vials. This collaboration aims to provide a more affordable option for patients who may prefer to pay out-of-pocket. People may be able to pay for these out of pocket at a lower price than the injector pens. According to the company, people will be able to get single-dose vials with a prescription from a Ro-affiliated healthcare professional. It will include integration with Eli Lilly’s self-pay pharmacy channel, called LillyDirect.

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Eligibility for GLP-1 Prescriptions

To qualify for Wegovy or Zepbound through Ro, individuals must have a body mass index (BMI) over 30 (obesity) or a BMI over 27 (overweight) and at least one weight-related health condition, such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure.

Additional Services and Products Offered by Ro

In addition to weight loss medications, Ro offers a variety of other prescription medications and OTC products, including treatments for:

• Erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation
• Hair loss
• Fertility
• General health

Research and Innovation at Ro

Ro's commitment to advancing obesity care is evident in its research initiatives. The company presented eight research abstracts at ObesityWeek 2025, covering topics ranging from real-world GLP-1 outcomes to AI-powered message triage tools and the impact of food noise on patients.

Ro has partnered with leading experts to develop and rigorously validate the Ro Allison Indiana Dhurandhar Food Noise (RAID-FN) Inventory, a brief questionnaire that comprehensively assesses food noise.

How Ro Works: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Complete a Health History Questionnaire: New members are prompted to complete a brief online survey covering their goals, height and weight, other basic health details, and current insurance coverage information. Ro patients fill out a dynamic online visit answering questions about their health, lifestyle, medical history, and symptoms.
2. Undergo Provider Review and Eligibility Approval: The health information gathered in the survey is reviewed by a Ro-affiliated provider (M.D. or nurse practitioner) to determine your eligibility for a GLP-1 prescription. A physician then reviews the results and prescribes medication if appropriate.
3. Confirm Approval and Receive Prescription: If approved, a prescription for Zepbound, Wegovy, or Ozempic may be provided.
4. Verify Insurance Coverage: Ro will work with your insurance company to verify your benefits, which may take several weeks.
5. Filling the Prescription: Medications can be obtained from a local pharmacy (potentially covered by insurance) or through Ro's partner pharmacies (cash-pay only).

Who is Ro For?

Ro is for adults who have certain health concerns that can be treated virtually. It isn’t suitable for people with chronic health conditions requiring more complicated care, nor is it meant for urgent concerns or emergencies. Ro is not a replacement for a visit with a primary care doctor or healthcare team. Instead, it aims to provide complementary services to better support your health needs at home. If you haven’t visited a healthcare professional in the last three years, Ro is probably not a good fit.

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Potential Benefits of Using Ro

• Convenience: Ro offers a convenient way to access healthcare services from the comfort of your own home.
• Accessibility: Ro can be a more accessible option for individuals who live in rural areas or have difficulty traveling to see a doctor in person.
• Affordability: Ro's services may be more affordable than traditional healthcare options, particularly for those without insurance.
• Discreetness: Ro provides discreet product packaging and delivery, which can be appealing for individuals who are concerned about privacy.

Potential Drawbacks and Concerns

• Lack of In-Person Interaction: Some individuals may prefer in-person interactions with a healthcare professional, which Ro does not offer.
• Limited Scope of Care: Ro is not suitable for individuals with complex or chronic health conditions that require more comprehensive care.
• Mixed Customer Reviews: Ro has received mixed customer reviews, with some customers reporting issues with billing, shipping, and customer service.
• Cost of Medications: The cost of medications is not included in the monthly membership fee for the Ro Body Program, which can be a significant expense.
• Lack of Professional Oversight: Some experts have expressed concern about the lack of professional oversight with online platforms like Ro, emphasizing the importance of clinical guidance and personalized follow-up care.

Customer Reviews and Reputation

Customer reviews of Ro are mixed. While some customers praise the service's convenience, affordability, and discreet packaging, others report dissatisfaction with the company's return policy, problems with deliveries, difficulty canceling recurring subscriptions, instances of being billed twice in the same month, and a lack of clear communication. On TrustPilot, Ro received 2,308 reviews and an average rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars.

Alternatives to Ro

Several other telehealth platforms offer similar products and services to Ro, including:

• Hims and Hers: Hims caters specifically to men, while Hers offers similar services that cater to women. As with Ro, online visits are free, and prices vary for specific medications and products.
• PlushCare: PlushCare is a membership-based service that can connect you to a doctor to address concerns related to primary care, mental health, or weight loss. It's one of the few telehealth services that is in-network with many major insurance plans, and it provides affordable self-pay options for those without insurance.

BBB Accreditation and Rating

Yes, Ro is a telehealth platform that has Better Business Bureau accreditation.

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