Blog · Weight loss
Understanding GLP-1 Program Costs in Maryland
By First Response Doctors Clinic Care Team · · 6 min read
GLP-1 pricing confuses people for a structural reason: there are two separate costs, and most advertising only shows one of them. There is the medication, and there is the clinical care that makes the medication safe to use. This article separates the two, gives the published numbers at First Response Doctors Clinic, and explains what changes when insurance is involved.
Two costs, not one
The first cost is the medication itself. The second is the clinical program: evaluation, titration decisions, monitoring, side-effect management, nutrition targets, and follow-up visits. A program that only quotes a medication price is quietly leaving the second cost undefined, which is where surprise charges usually come from.
At First Response Doctors Clinic both numbers are published. The clinic fee is $150 per month and covers your clinical care. Medication is priced separately by product.
Published medication tiers
Phentermine with B12 injections runs $84 per month. Semaglutide products — Ozempic and Wegovy — run $199 to $399 per month depending on dose. Tirzepatide products — Mounjaro and Zepbound — run $399 to $499 per month depending on dose. B12 injections are $15 each when they are part of your protocol.
Prices are set by the clinic and may change after clinical evaluation. The range within each product reflects dose: as titration advances, the monthly medication cost generally moves toward the upper end of the range. At maximum tirzepatide dosing, the clinic fee switches to once every 90 days rather than monthly.
Where insurance changes the math
Some Maryland plans cover weight-management medication, some cover it only after a prior authorization documenting body mass index and prior attempts, and some exclude it entirely regardless of medical necessity. Being in-network with a plan means the clinic can bill it — it does not by itself mean the plan covers weight-management medication. Both facts are confirmed during verification.
We publish the plans we are contracted with and the plans we are not. If your plan is one we are not contracted with, you are told before your first visit and offered the transparent self-pay clinic fee instead.
Budgeting for a realistic program length
GLP-1 therapy for chronic weight management is not a one-month purchase. Titration alone typically spans several months, and the clinical value of the program comes from staying in it long enough for monitoring and adjustment to matter. When comparing prices, compare the total monthly cost — medication plus clinical care — across the length of time you actually expect to be treated.
The other budget line worth planning for is food. Strict protein protocols are part of the program, and protein-forward grocery shopping is a real cost that people frequently forget to account for.
How we talk about results
Your clinician sets your goals — many plans target 10–16 lbs/month with strict protein protocols; individual results vary.
Medication, dosing, and candidacy are always determined by a licensed clinician after evaluation. Nothing on this page is medical advice, and no outcome is promised.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the $150 clinic fee charged on top of medication?
- Yes. The clinic fee covers your clinical care — evaluation, titration, monitoring, and follow-up. Medication is priced separately by product.
- Why is there a price range for each medication?
- The range reflects dose. As your clinician titrates upward, the monthly medication cost generally moves toward the upper end of the published range.
- Can I switch from self-pay to insurance later?
- Yes. If your coverage changes, we re-verify benefits and move you to the insurance track if your plan is one we are contracted with and it covers the therapy.