First Stop Health expands weight management program, shares first-year results

Virtual care platform First Stop Health unveiled an expansion of its Healthy Weight Program amid increasing GLP-1 demand and subsequent healthcare plan costs.

The program integrates weight management, including GLP-1 prescriptions when appropriate, directly into its primary care model. New to the program is a cash-pay access option for employers who do not currently cover GLP-1 prescriptions and a managed coverage program for those who do offer coverage. 

"The goal isn't simply weight loss -- it's improving metabolic health and reducing long-term health risk,” said Cole Barfield, M.D., First Stop Health chief medical officer, in an emailed statement to Fierce Healthcare. 

Barfield said the virtual care platform aids “employers on either side of the coverage decision” by “combining clinically appropriate prescribing with primary care, dietitians, health coaches, and diabetes educators who support sustainable behavior change.” 

“Medication can be transformative, but it works best when it's part of a real care relationship focused on the whole person,” Barfield said. 

First Stop Health began piloting the program in 2025, with a broader launch in 2026, the company says. In a first-year data analysis, one employer saw 100% of participants lose weight over 12 months—with an average 19% body weight reduction per patient. Moreover, executives say no participants remained in Class 2 or Class 3 obesity after the period and 25% reached a healthy body mass index (BMI).

In terms of savings, First Stop Health estimates $1,500 to $2,800 in annual savings per person and up to $9,000 for those who began with Class 3 obesity. 

“For many employers, the GLP-1 landscape is nothing short of chaos, and they are left to sort through many point solution options without a clear path to managing utilization or ensuring outcomes,” said Teira Gunlock, First Stop Health CEO, in a statement. “We built this program because we believe medication has to live inside a real care relationship — not a standalone app — to deliver results employers and employees can count on.”

Despite the GLP-1 boom, a recent report from Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG) found 49% of payers who do not cover the drugs for obesity would not do so at any price.

When asked the top reason for exclusion, 45% of respondents—ranging from benefits leaders at employers to unions—reported coverage is too expensive for all members who would be prescribed the medication. Other factors included views of the medications as lifestyle drugs (24%), ongoing cost exposure (18%) and high discontinuation rates resulting in a lack of ROI (5%).