Designing Longevity
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How we rate program features

Five stars describe the published costs, billing flexibility and support around a prescription. They do not rate medical care.

Published October 14, 2026 · Rubric program-features-v1

What the stars mean

Our ratings reflect editorial shopping preferences: clearer prices, shorter commitments and specified support make a program easier to compare. Those choices are published below so you can judge whether they match what matters to you. They are not a scientific measure of treatment quality or a guarantee that a provider is right for you.

We compare the exact branded-prescription route described in each row. A fee for a different product, compounded plan or prepaid option is not quietly substituted. Appointment-based services can earn credit for a published visit price without pretending it is a monthly total.

Published clinician access means a program advertises a way to contact a clinician. It does not establish licensing, safe prescribing, actual response speed or better outcomes. Human lifestyle support can be coaching or nutrition support; credentials and whether a registered dietitian is included remain separate facts.

The three parts of the score

Price clarity

40 points

How clearly the compared route states care rates, separate medication bills, possible extras and introductory versus ongoing terms.

Billing flexibility

30 points

The minimum commitment and the published cancellation, refund and renewal rules. Shorter required terms earn more flexibility points.

Published support

30 points

Published clinician contact, lifestyle support and which services are included or billed separately.

Every criterion and its points

These are editorial weights, not clinical evidence grades. Expand a provider’s “Program features” rating to see its observations, points and dated sources.

Published program-features criteria and scoring rules
CriterionMaximumHow points are assigned
Care price and billing period15
  • 15 points: A definite recurring or per-visit care price and billing period are published.
  • 5 points: Only a starting or introductory care price is published.
  • 0 points: The provider explicitly requires an individual quote for the care price.
Medication cost boundary10
  • 10 points: The cited plan explicitly includes medication in its quoted total.
  • 10 points: The cited plan explicitly bills medication separately.
  • 0 points: The cited terms explicitly leave the medication charge unresolved.
Other possible charges10
  • 10 points: Visit, lab and other applicable charges or exclusions are stated for the compared plan.
  • 5 points: The plan identifies extra charges but does not publish their full price.
  • 0 points: The plan explicitly requires a quote to identify applicable extras.
First-term and ongoing price5
  • 5 points: First-term and ongoing prices are both stated, or the source explicitly says they are the same.
  • 2.5 points: A definite recurring or per-visit fee is published; no comparable introductory offer is established.
  • 0 points: An introductory price is published without the ongoing price.
Minimum commitment15
  • 15 points: No multi-month commitment is required for the compared route.
  • 8 points: An initial three-month commitment is required.
  • 4 points: An initial six-month commitment is required.
  • 0 points: An initial twelve-month commitment is required.
Cancellation rule10
  • 10 points: Both the cancellation deadline and method are published.
  • 5 points: Only a cancellation deadline or method is published.
  • 0 points: The provider explicitly requires a plan-specific check for cancellation terms.
Refund and renewal terms5
  • 5 points: Refund and renewal rules are published for the compared plan.
  • 2.5 points: Only one of refund or renewal rules is published.
  • 0 points: The provider explicitly requires a plan-specific check for both rules.
Clinician access15
  • 15 points: The compared route documents clinician contact, whether bundled or paid per visit.
  • 8 points: The route documents clinician contact with a stated format or access limitation.
  • 0 points: The compared route explicitly excludes clinician contact.
Lifestyle support10
  • 10 points: The plan includes human nutrition or lifestyle support; credentials are described separately.
  • 7 points: The plan includes digital nutrition or lifestyle tools.
  • 3 points: Lifestyle support is offered for a separate charge.
  • 0 points: The plan explicitly excludes lifestyle support.
Included and extra support5
  • 5 points: The cited plan clearly distinguishes included support from separately billed services.
  • 2.5 points: Some support inclusions or charges are stated; other boundaries remain unresolved.
  • 0 points: The provider explicitly requires an individual quote to determine support inclusions.

When we withhold stars

Missing information stays unknown. It is not zero points and does not prove that a feature is unavailable. A score needs source-backed evidence for the care rate, medication billing boundary, minimum commitment, cancellation rule and clinician access.

We also require evidence covering at least 30 of the 40 pricing points, 25 of the 30 billing points and 20 of the 30 support points. We calculate the lowest and highest possible totals for the remaining unknown criteria. If those totals would round to different half-stars, we publish “Not rated.” The evidence breakdown remains available.

Expired evidence, missing or unsafe source links, unsupported criterion values and unresolved conflicts withhold the rating. This is why a program can receive a specific category pick, such as no recurring membership, while lacking enough evidence for a complete star score.

The calculation

The rubric totals 100 possible points. We convert a supported total to a one-to-five scale using 1 + (4 × points ÷ 100), then round to the nearest half-star. A displayed 5.0 is a rounded score; it does not mean every detail is perfect. We do not drop unknown criteria and inflate the remaining points to a new denominator.

The same program has the same star score on every category page. Category picks answer the specific shopping question on their page and are not automatically awarded to the highest star score. A prominent “Our pick for” banner gives that reason, with a linked explanation and alternatives. Insurance labels distinguish covered visits from medication paperwork; a pay-per-visit alternative on the monthly page is identified as an alternative, rather than called a monthly plan. Unselected options remain available to compare. Providers do not pay for a rating or a pick, and affiliate compensation is not a scoring input.

Dates, sources and limits

Every scored observation has exact public source IDs, a check date and an expiry. A source refresh in one area does not renew an older price or credential check. We show published promises, with no patient enrollment or independent testing of the care provided.

This rating is not a patient review, an accreditation score or a measure of clinical safety, effectiveness, pharmacy quality or individual medical suitability. Our content is not medically reviewed. Dates are snapshots. Monthly source research and update drafts are scheduled; a review and publication are required before an edition date changes.

Compare GLP-1 programsProvider checks and their limitsEditorial process