Gentle Health serves Georgia. Patients in Georgia can request an evaluation with James Simmons, MD, for weight-management treatment, including compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide, or brand-name Zepbound, Wegovy or Foundayo, when medically appropriate. Care is provided through telehealth, and a prescription is not guaranteed.
Georgia is one of the 41 jurisdictions we serve: 40 states and Washington, DC. This page explains how care starts in Georgia, what Georgia law says about telehealth prescribing and the pharmacies that ship in, whether Georgia Medicaid or Medicare covers these drugs, and what our published dose tiers cost. It is published by Gentle Health and describes our own service, not an independent ranking of providers.
How do I start GLP-1 care in Georgia?
In Georgia, care starts with a live video visit, booked online and taken from home. Georgia is one of five jurisdictions we serve where a written review alone is not how care begins.
- Complete the medical intake on our Georgia page, which also lists the public records that verify our licensure there. It takes a few minutes, and the intake and the doctor’s first review are free.
- Meet the doctor over video. You book the visit online and take it from home. Dr. Simmons goes through your intake with you and decides whether treatment is appropriate.
- Choose whether to start. If medication is prescribed, you see the formulation, dose tier and monthly price before ordering. Nothing is charged until you choose to start.
- Medication ships to you. A licensed US pharmacy fills the prescription and ships it overnight in refrigerated packaging, anywhere in Georgia, whether you are in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus or Savannah.
You can read about each compounded medication for Georgia on its own page: semaglutide injections and tirzepatide injections. Why care in Georgia starts with a scheduled video visit, and differently in some other states, is explained in how our prescribing process varies by state.
What does Georgia law say about telehealth prescribing?
Georgia does not require an in-person visit before prescribing, but it does ask for an examination that holds up to one. Georgia Composite Medical Board rule 360-3-.07(a)(3)(d) lets a Georgia-licensed clinician qualify if able to examine the patient using technology or peripherals equal or superior to an examination done in person, which is why care in Georgia starts with a live video visit rather than a form.
The same rule asks the clinician to make diligent efforts to have you seen in person by a Georgia-licensed physician, PA or nurse practitioner at least once a year. That can be your own doctor.
These are selected requirements, summarized from the primary sources linked above, and not a determination that any particular service meets every Georgia rule. Our care team can explain the steps for your own evaluation.
Can a pharmacy outside Georgia ship my medication to me?
Only if it holds a Georgia nonresident pharmacy permit. O.C.G.A. § 26-4-114.1(d) makes it unlawful to ship, mail or deliver prescription drug orders into Georgia without one, and the permit is a public credential you can ask any provider to name.
Whoever you use, it is fair to ask which pharmacy will compound your medication and to look it up yourself with the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy (GA Department of Community Health). How to check both the doctor and the pharmacy is covered in how to verify an online semaglutide provider.
Does Georgia Medicaid or Medicare cover GLP-1s for weight loss?
Not through Gentle Health: we do not bill Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance, and everyone pays the same published price. To use coverage you would need a provider who accepts your plan and prescribes a medication it covers.
Georgia Medicaid lists weight-loss drugs only for adolescents. Saxenda and Xenical are the sole weight-management drugs on the drug list, both limited to ages 12 to 17, and GLP-1s are approved only for type 2 diabetes, with an HbA1c of 6.5% or higher for Ozempic, Mounjaro and Victoza and 7% or higher for some others. The list and its criteria show no adult weight-loss route.
Medicare may still cover an FDA-approved product through the federal GLP-1 Bridge: a $50 copay for Wegovy, Zepbound or Foundayo through December 31, 2027, for Part D enrollees with a BMI of 35 or more, or lower with specific heart, stroke, artery, blood-pressure, kidney or prediabetes conditions. Type 2 diabetes, moderate-to-severe sleep apnea and MASH are covered through regular Part D instead.
Whichever program you are in, neither covers compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide: coverage applies to specific FDA-approved products, and compounded preparations are not FDA-approved. If coverage says no, the options are in what to do when insurance will not cover weight-loss medication.
Who provides care, and how can I verify the Georgia license?
James Simmons, MD, our medical director, provides the medical care. He is board-certified in emergency medicine and licensed in Georgia, license number 111870. Check it yourself with the Georgia Composite Medical Board: confirm that the name, license status and any restrictions match the doctor treating you. A page describing a service is not proof of licensure; the licensing authority’s record is.
What does compounded GLP-1 treatment cost?
The monthly price depends on the medication and dose tier your doctor prescribes. Compounded semaglutide injections start at $135 a month and compounded tirzepatide injections at $169. Every tier is published, so you can see more than the lowest price.
These are Gentle Health’s prices for compounded medication, not prices for Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound. For brand-name care you pay us $28/month for the doctor’s care and buy the medicine at the maker’s self-pay price: Zepbound or Foundayo from LillyDirect, the Wegovy pen from NovoCare Pharmacy. Dose tiers describe pricing, not instructions to choose or increase a dose yourself.
Injectable compounded semaglutide
| Tier | Weekly dose | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|
| Starting | 0.24–0.48 mg/wk | $135/mo |
| Medium | >0.48–1.2 mg/wk | $159/mo |
| High dose | >1.2–2.4 mg/wk | $199/mo |
Injectable compounded tirzepatide
| Tier | Weekly dose | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|
| Starting | 2.5–5 mg/wk | $169/mo |
| Medium | >5–10 mg/wk | $219/mo |
| High dose | >10–15 mg/wk | $269/mo |
The medication, physician care, video visits and messaging, supplies and overnight refrigerated shipping are included in the monthly price. There is no membership fee, and no sales tax is added. Why prices for the same medicine vary so much between providers is explained in why GLP-1 prices vary.
Compounded treatment is a monthly subscription with a two-month minimum commitment: you are billed when you start and again one month later, because we send two months or more of medication at a time, depending on your dose, to save on refrigerated overnight shipping. After each refill, you can cancel 30 days after you requested it. Cancelling takes effect immediately and stops future billing and shipments, but charges already made, including the current month’s, are not prorated or refunded. Brand-name care has no minimum: you can cancel any time. The full conditions are in our terms of service.
Is compounded semaglutide the same as Wegovy or Ozempic?
No. A compounded preparation is not an FDA-approved generic or an interchangeable version of a branded medicine. Our doctor can also prescribe Wegovy, Zepbound or Foundayo, which you buy through NovoCare or LillyDirect; a licensed dispensing pharmacy fills the prescription. Gentle Health is not affiliated with their manufacturers.
Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, and the FDA does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are dispensed. The FDA explains the difference in its compounding questions and answers, and its concerns in FDA’s concerns about unapproved GLP-1 drugs. What 503A compounding means, and why it matters which kind of pharmacy fills a prescription, is in 503A vs 503B pharmacies.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a GLP-1 prescription online in Georgia? Yes, if a doctor decides treatment is appropriate for you. In Georgia, care starts with a live video visit, booked online and taken from home. If treatment is prescribed, a licensed US pharmacy ships it overnight to your door.
Do I need to visit a clinic in Atlanta, Augusta or Columbus? No. Care starts with a video visit taken from home, and medication ships overnight to your address. Care is delivered by telehealth, so it is the same anywhere in Georgia, whether you are in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus or Savannah.
Do I need an in-person exam in Georgia? Not to start. Care starts with a video visit. Georgia asks us to make sure you are examined in person once a year by a Georgia-licensed physician, PA or nurse practitioner, and that can be your own doctor.
Does Georgia Medicaid cover compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide? No. Not for adults. Georgia Medicaid lists weight-loss drugs only for ages 12 to 17, and GLP-1s only for type 2 diabetes.
Is compounded semaglutide FDA-approved? No. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, and a doctor’s Georgia license does not change that.
By James Simmons, MD
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. Treatment subject to medical evaluation.