Many large telehealth platforms sell ED, hair loss, and weight loss prescriptions online. The experience, clinical depth, and flexibility vary meaningfully between models. Here is the honest side-by-side from a board-certified physician who has reviewed how each approach works.
Questionnaire-based telehealth is built for speed and scale: an async online intake form, medication review (often by NP or PA, sometimes by MD), usually no live physician visit, fixed-dose commercial medications, heavy direct-to-consumer marketing. It works well if you know exactly what you want and just need a frictionless prescription.
Physician-led telehealth (YourMD) is built for clinical depth: a board-certified MD personally reviews every prescription (a free async consult, with a phone or video visit when clinically needed), full EHR, physician-managed titration along the labeled dose ladder for brand GLP-1s, compounded options for some non-GLP-1 therapies, ongoing dose adjustments, and unlimited messaging with the prescribing physician. It fits patients who want real medicine, want a doctor who knows their history, or have any clinical complexity.
| Factor | YourMD | Typical Questionnaire Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Provider type | Board-certified MD (internal medicine) | Primarily NPs / PAs, some MDs |
| Consultation format | Free async consult reviewed personally by a board-certified MD; phone or video visit when clinically needed | Async questionnaire, chart review |
| Medication dosing | FDA-approved products at labeled doses; compounded options (not FDA-approved) for some non-GLP-1 therapies | Fixed commercial doses |
| Dose adjustments | Physician-managed titration along the labeled dose ladder | Limited, platform-driven |
| Ongoing messaging | Unlimited, directly with physician | Limited (or extra fee) |
| Full EHR / chart | Yes (SOAP notes, audit, encounter history) | Minimal |
| Unique formulations | Compounded sublingual ED troches and 3-in-1 hair topicals (not FDA-approved; prepared by a licensed 503A compounding pharmacy such as Hallandale Pharmacy or Valiant Compounding Pharmacy). GLP-1s are brand only. | Standard commercial products |
| Peptide therapy | Yes (NAD+ and PT-141) | Typically not offered |
| Longevity medicine | Yes (rapamycin, metformin) | Typically not offered |
| GLP-1 starting price | $79/month membership + medication billed by NovoCare/LillyDirect | Varies |
| ED starting price | $59/month | Varies |
| Malpractice history | Zero claims, ever (founding physician) | Not publicly disclosed |
Questionnaire-based platforms have built remarkable businesses on making prescriptions feel as easy as ordering from Amazon. That accessibility is real and valuable. But a form-based model has structural trade-offs. It is very hard to personalize dose titration, catch medication interactions, or escalate when something isn't working — because there is no ongoing clinical relationship. For simple, one-dose-fits-all prescriptions, that gap is invisible. For GLP-1 titration, hair regimens that need to evolve, or any situation where you want a doctor who actually knows you, the gap matters.
YourMD is the opposite business model: we assume you want physician-quality care and we build around that. That means our initial friction is slightly higher (a physician personally reviews your case and may contact you for a phone or video visit), and our pricing reflects physician care in every subscription. We trade the "frictionless-prescription" convenience for actual medical care.
Comparison reflects common industry patterns for questionnaire-based direct-to-consumer telehealth platforms as of April 2026. Individual platforms vary; this page does not name or refer to any specific competitor. Page authored by Teja V. Surapaneni, MD, MS. Last reviewed: April 17, 2026