Medicare GLP-1 Bridge · A temporary Medicare program
Your spine carries every pound. We can help with both.
Wisconsin Spine and Pain now offers medically supervised weight management, including GLP-1 medication, for Medicare patients. If your primary care office is booked out for months, you don't have to wait to start the conversation.
Eligibility check
Four questions. No account, no forms.
Medicare's GLP-1 Bridge program has specific rules about who can take part. This walks you through them so you know where you stand before you book a visit.
Question 1 of 4
How tall are you, and what do you weigh?
This program uses body mass index (BMI) to decide eligibility. We'll work it out for you — an estimate is fine.
Question 2 of 4
Has a doctor told you that you have any of these?
At your BMI, the program requires at least one of these conditions. Check any that apply.
Question 3 of 4
Do you have Medicare drug coverage — Part D?
That's either a stand-alone Medicare drug plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage.
Question 4 of 4
Are you already taking a GLP-1 paid for by your Medicare drug plan?
These include Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, Zepbound, Rybelsus and Trulicity — often prescribed for diabetes or sleep apnea.
Your answers stay on this page and are never sent to us. This check is a guide only — it isn't a medical opinion, and it doesn't approve or deny coverage. Only Medicare can decide that, after your provider submits a request.
How it works
Four steps, in order.
Medicare requires your provider to confirm your eligibility before the pharmacy can fill anything. Here's what that looks like from your side.
You're seen here
A visit with Dr. Scarlett to review your health history, your weight, your other medicines, and whether a GLP-1 is a sound choice for you.
We file the request
If it's appropriate, we send the prescription to your pharmacy and submit the prior authorization Medicare requires. You don't handle the paperwork.
Medicare decides
Medicare's processor reviews the request. Approval isn't guaranteed. If it's approved, you pick the medication up at your pharmacy.
We stay with it
Regular follow-up to adjust your dose, manage side effects, and track how your pain and function respond as your weight changes.
Why here
You may be wondering why a spine practice is offering this.
Because we already treat what excess weight does to you. Managing it isn't a departure from spine and pain care — it's part of it.
Extra body weight raises the mechanical load on the lumbar spine, hips and knees, and is tied to more inflammation throughout the body. Reducing it is a recognized part of managing musculoskeletal pain.
If you're our patient, we have your imaging, your medications, your procedures and your function. That's the same information a weight management plan is built on.
Primary care offices across the state are booked weeks to months out. We have appointments, and we can start the conversation now.
We're not replacing them. We send notes back, and we coordinate rather than duplicate.
What it costs
Two separate things: the medication, and your care.
These are billed by different people, in different ways. It's worth understanding the split before you start.
The medication
Paid to your pharmacy, not to us. Under the Bridge program, approved patients pay a set $50 copay for a one-month supply, at any dose.
- This $50 does not count toward your Part D deductible or your yearly out-of-pocket limit.
- Extra Help and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan don't apply to it.
- It applies only if Medicare approves your request.
Your visits with us
Billed to Medicare like any other office visit. Your usual Part B cost sharing applies — your deductible, coinsurance, and any secondary coverage you carry.
- We'll tell you what to expect before your first visit.
- Optional coaching and nutrition support may be offered separately. It's never required, and it's never a condition of being prescribed medication.
The fine print
The details, in plain language
Seven short answers. Tap any question to open it.
Find out where you stand.
A single visit tells you whether this is a fit — clinically, and under Medicare's rules. We'll give you a straight answer either way.