Sometimes.
Yes: Most lab work is usually covered by insurance.
No: Virtual appointments cannot be billed to insurance, but we can provide a Superbill. Visits are FSA/HSA eligible.
Maybe: GLP-1 medications may or may not be covered, depending on your plan and the reason for use.
The most reliable way to determine coverage is for me to send the prescription to your pharmacy and see how your insurer processes it. Some plans require prior authorization; outcomes range from full denial to affordable copays. I manage all required paperwork and will keep you informed throughout the process.
Our clinic uses both modern and established weight-management medications.
This includes GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic, as well as other evidence-based medications that support appetite regulation, reduce cravings, stabilize blood sugar, or help address binge eating.
Treatment is tailored to your individual medical history, symptoms, and goals.
This is common, unfortunately. If your insurance does not cover any GLP-1 medications, we can still arrange access through a trusted local pharmacy. A Free Consult is the best way to learn more about this option.
Safety and suitability depend on your individual medical background, which we will review together at your visit.
In general, GLP-1 medications are not recommended for individuals with:
- active substance abuse
- active eating disorders
- type 1 diabetes
- current cancer treatment
- bariatric surgery within the past 18 months
- active gallbladder disease
- recent pancreatitis (within 6 months)
- personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer (MEN syndrome)
- pregnancy, breastfeeding, or attempting to conceive
A Free Consult is the best first step if you have questions about safety.
Most patients need approximately 3 months to reach an initial weight or health goal.
For individuals with more than ~15 lbs to lose, or those aiming for broader metabolic improvements, a timeframe of 6–9 months or longer is more realistic.
Sustainable weight management also requires nutrition and habit changes, which generally take more than 3 months. You will have ongoing support through monthly visits, email, and our patient portal.
No. We are a fully virtual medical clinic. All appointments occur through our secure, HIPAA-compliant portal using Zoom. We currently serve Washington, with Oregon coming soon.
You may begin with a Free Consult or proceed directly to a New Patient appointment.
Free Consults are informational and designed to answer general questions; personalized medical advice is provided only during medical visits.
To begin as a new patient:
- Book your New Patient – 1st Appointment
- Activate your patient portal account
- Complete the new patient paperwork
Once those steps are complete, you’re ready for your first visit.
New patient care is divided into two visits for thoroughness.
Visit 1:
- Review your medical, weight, and dietary history
- Discuss GLP-1 medications: how they work, safety, side effects, and dosing
- Order any needed lab work
- Send your prescription to your preferred pharmacy to check insurance coverage
- Answer your questions
Visit 2:
- Review your lab results in detail
- Confirm medication options after insurance review
- Provide instructions, guidance, and practical tips for medication use
- Optional: complete your first dose together during the visit
If insurance does not approve GLP-1 therapy, we will discuss alternative access options.
We offer several convenient ways to stay connected with your care team. You can reach us through secure messaging in your patient portal, secure two-way texting using your regular texting app, or by phone. Our clinic app—available in both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store—provides streamlined communication and quick access to your health information.
At each follow-up visit, we review how you’re doing on your medication, including tolerability, side effects, and benefits. We’ll determine whether any dose adjustments are needed and review your nutrition to ensure you’re meeting your protein and macronutrient needs. We also discuss exercise and physical activity to support your overall progress. Your treatment plan may benefit from periodic lab monitoring, which we will order and review together.
Our approach is rooted in the principles of comprehensive Obesity Medicine care, which emphasizes real food and strategy over restriction. You will be eating real, nourishing foods you can find at your grocery store. At each appointment, we refine your nutrition plan so that progress is steady, sustainable, and realistic for your lifestyle.
We follow the four pillars of obesity treatment, as endorsed by the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA):
nutrition therapy, physical activity, behavioral modification, and medical interventions.
This comprehensive model begins with a full assessment of your health, metabolism, history, and goals, and recognizes the importance of treating the whole person—not just managing symptoms. Think of these pillars as a menu of scientifically supported options. Together, we determine the best path forward using nutritional science, your lab results, your medical history, your personal goals, and evidence-based strategies for sustainable habits and exercise.
Slow, consistent behavior change is the key to long-term success, and our goal is long-term sustainability. Meaningful habit change and steady, healthy weight loss take time, often months, and we support you through that process.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our New Care Model & Programs
We changed our care model because traditional, short-term weight loss care does not match how weight and metabolic health actually work.
Biologically, weight loss triggers powerful adaptations:
- Hunger hormones increase
- Fullness hormones decrease
- The body burns fewer calories at rest
This response—called metabolic adaptation—can last 6 months to 2 years and is the primary reason weight regain is so common.
Most people don’t regain weight because they “got lazy.”
They regain weight because support ended before biology settled.
Our new model is designed to:
- Match care to this biological reality
- Provide structure instead of willpower-based advice
- Offer intensive support up front, then step down gradually
- Ensure patients are not left alone during the most vulnerable maintenance phase
This is why we moved away from one-off visits and toward structured programs with a clear transition into ongoing support. Weight and metabolic health require time, continuity, and a thoughtful off-ramp—not episodic care that is triggered only when absolutely necessary.
The New Patient Consult is a standalone, no-obligation medical visit.
During this visit, we:
- Review your medical history, family history, medications, and symptoms
- Review outside lab work (strongly encouraged)
- Discuss whether GLP-1 or other medications are safe and appropriate
- Separate fact from fiction around weight loss medications
- Create a personalized roadmap for treatment options
You leave with clarity about what your actual treatment plan would look like—not a pressure tactic to join before any real value is given.
You have up to 3 months after this visit to decide whether to move forward with a formal program.
Because weight and metabolic health are not episodic problems.
Programs provide:
- Continuity of care
- Time for medication titration and adjustment
- Ongoing nutrition and lifestyle guidance
- Accountability while habits and systems are being built
Programs are structured around months of active treatment, not single visits. This allows care to be proactive instead of reactive.
Cascadia Medical offers two formal treatment programs:
Core Program (3 months)
Designed for patients with:
- Lower medical complexity
- Modest weight-loss goals
- No prediabetes or diabetes
This is a focused, streamlined program with structured medical oversight and short-term support.
Comprehensive Program (6 months)
Designed for patients with:
- Prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes
- Significant insulin resistance
- Larger weight-loss goals
- History of repeated weight regain
- Or anyone wanting longer-term accountability and support
This program allows more time for medication titration, lab monitoring, deeper education around nutrition and physical activity, and habit development.
Program placement is discussed collaboratively with your clinician.
Some patients medically qualify for either option and may choose the longer program for added support. Others require the Comprehensive Program due to medical complexity.
You will discuss with your clinician which program you qualify for, and together, you will decide which program is best suited to your medical history, needs, and personal preference.
Continued Care is the long-term support phase after completing a Core or Comprehensive Program.
It exists because:
- Biology continues to push back after weight loss
- Plateaus and regressions are common
- Life inevitably intervenes (travel, stress, illness, schedule changes)
Continued Care ensures:
- Ongoing medical supervision
- Medication adjustments
- Structured, thoughtful weaning off medication
- Lab monitoring over time
- Support during plateaus or setbacks
- Continued access to nutrition, lifestyle, and coaching resources
This is where sustainability lives. This is where your progress is protected.
No. Continued Care is not mandatory.
However, it is strongly recommended based on what we see clinically and what we know about weight biology.
Our responsibility is to explain the science and offer the structure that best supports your long-term health and weight maintenance. The choice is always yours.
If you choose not to enroll in Continued Care, your formal medical care with Cascadia Medical will conclude at the end of your program.
This means:
- Prescription medications will be discontinued, as ongoing prescribing requires active medical supervision
- Access to the Alterra Health platform will end, including dietitian and lifestyle coaching, webinars, and monthly resources
- Two-way messaging and portal messaging with your clinician will close
- We will no longer assist with pharmacy coordination, insurance issues, or prior authorizations
Your patient portal remains open for 12 months for record access.
If you rejoin within 12 months, you may enroll directly into Continued Care.
After 12 months, re-entry requires completion of a structured program to safely update your medical history and treatment plan.
Remaining in Continued Care means you do not need to repeat a formal program later.
Continued Care is not about forcing appointments. It exists so support can scale back without being removed, preserving access to care while allowing you to live your life without constant check-ins.
Monthly support includes:
- Ongoing access to your medical provider via portal message or text
- Medical visits when you need them, at no extra cost
- Prescription refills
- Prior authorization, pharmacy, and insurance support
- Lab ordering and interpretation (often 1–2× per year)
- Secure two-way messaging
- Dietitian and lifestyle coaching with 1:1 calls or text
- Monthly updated educational content, challenges, and live masterclasses
Most patients use lower-touch support when things are going well—and schedule visits only when something changes.
This removes the common barrier in transactional medicine where people delay care because they’re worried about the cost of “another visit.”
Yes.
Programs and Continued Care are not contracts—you are not locked in indefinitely.
That said:
- Programs are structured medical care delivered over time
- Continued Care reflects active medical supervision
- We cannot give refunds for services already provided
Specific billing and cancellation details are reviewed before enrollment so expectations are clear upfront.
That’s exactly when Continued Care works best.
When things are stable, support tends to be quiet:
- A quick portal message
- A coaching check-in via text
- Watching a short video or reading a new handout that was just posted to the Content Library
But when something shifts—cravings return, the scale creeps up, routines break down—you don’t have to panic or start over alone.
You simply book a visit and we create an updated plan together.
Weight and metabolic health are long-term, dynamic conditions.
This care model exists so:
- Support doesn’t disappear too soon
- Biological processes are respected
- Habits have time to become sustainable
- Progress becomes the new norm
Success doesn’t come from being perfect.
It comes from following a clear process that lasts long enough to work.