UnitedHealthcare · Recuperación de peso post-bariátrica · Versión completa en inglés: /pa-letter/united-healthcare--post-bariatric/
Carta de PA para UnitedHealthcare: Recuperación de peso post-bariátrica.
Plantilla defensible de carta para Wegovy or Zepbound. Patients with weight regain after bariatric surgery qualify under the obesity indication if current BMI is 30 or above (or 27 with comorbidity). Surgical history is supportive, not exclusionary.
La carta misma está en inglés porque el revisor del plan la lee en inglés. La envuelve y la firma su clínico.
Cita de política: OptumRx Prior Authorization Criteria, GLP-1 Receptor Agonists, last revised quarterly.
Nota del plan: OptumRx tightened criteria in 2025 to require BMI greater than or equal to 30 with one comorbidity OR BMI greater than or equal to 35, six months documented dietary intervention and step through phentermine or orlistat. Some employer carve-outs are stricter.
Nota del plan: OptumRx tightened criteria in 2025 to require BMI greater than or equal to 30 with one comorbidity OR BMI greater than or equal to 35, six months documented dietary intervention and step through phentermine or orlistat. Some employer carve-outs are stricter.
Lo que OptumRx realmente requiere
UnitedHealthcare contrata la administración del beneficio de farmacia a OptumRx, que adjudica esta PA. Los criterios siguientes provienen de la política clínica del PBM publicada públicamente. Cumpla cada uno antes de enviar.
- BMI greater than or equal to 30 with one comorbidity, OR BMI greater than or equal to 35 alone (post-2025 tightening)
- Six months of documented dietary intervention with structured weight-management program participation
- Step therapy through phentermine OR orlistat
- 6-month reauthorization checkpoint requiring documented weight loss greater than or equal to 4 percent from baseline
- Some employer carve-outs exclude obesity-indication GLP-1 entirely; check plan's specific formulary
La carta (copiar y editar)
Copie el cuerpo a continuación y péguelo en el portal de su clínico o procesador de textos. Reemplace cada marcador de posición entre [CORCHETES] con datos específicos del paciente antes de enviar. La carta es de su clínico al plan, firmada por su clínico.
[Today's date] UnitedHealthcare Prior Authorization Department Submitted via: OptumRx portal, UHC Link or fax 1-800-527-0531 Re: Prior Authorization Request, Wegovy or Zepbound Patient: [Patient full name] Member ID: [Plan member ID] Date of birth: [Patient DOB] Group number: [Group number if applicable] Prescriber: [Prescriber full name, NPI, DEA] Prescriber contact: [Phone, fax, email] To the UnitedHealthcare Prior Authorization Reviewer, I am the treating clinician for [Patient name]. I am writing to request prior authorization for Wegovy or Zepbound for treatment of Post-bariatric weight regain (ICD-10: Z98.84, E66.01). Clinical justification Bariatric surgery is durable for most patients, but 20 to 50 percent experience clinically significant weight regain over the long term. Post-bariatric GLP-1 use has growing evidence: the 2024 BARI-OPTIMISE trial (Wegovy in patients with post-bariatric weight regain) demonstrated 8.8 percent mean weight loss versus 0.5 percent for placebo over 16 weeks. Post-bariatric status (ICD-10 Z98.84) does not exclude a patient from anti-obesity pharmacotherapy under any major plan's PA criteria; the qualifying criterion is current BMI plus comorbidities, regardless of how the patient reached that BMI. Patient-specific findings - [Insert current measurements: weight, height, BMI, blood pressure] - [Insert relevant lab values with dates: A1c, lipid panel, kidney function] - [Insert documentation of comorbidities with ICD-10] - [Insert documentation of prior treatment history, including any prior GLP-1 trials, anti-obesity medication trials or lifestyle intervention] Criteria met per UnitedHealthcare policy This request meets the criteria set out in OptumRx Prior Authorization Criteria, GLP-1 Receptor Agonists, last revised quarterly: - Current BMI and the date measured - Type and date of prior bariatric procedure (Roux-en-Y, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, duodenal switch) - Documented post-surgical weight nadir and current weight to establish regain pattern - Comorbidity status (T2D, hypertension, dyslipidemia, OSA) using ICD-10 codes - Bariatric surgeon or obesity medicine specialist co-signing the letter when possible Supporting evidence The clinical case for Wegovy or Zepbound in this indication is supported by the following registration trials and outcomes data: - BARI-OPTIMISE (semaglutide 2.4 mg in post-bariatric weight regain), Mok et al. 2024 - Pajecki et al. 2023 (liraglutide in post-bariatric regain) Plan-specific note OptumRx tightened criteria in 2025 to require BMI greater than or equal to 30 with one comorbidity OR BMI greater than or equal to 35, six months documented dietary intervention and step through phentermine or orlistat. Some employer carve-outs are stricter. Requested action I am requesting prior authorization for Wegovy or Zepbound at the [insert starting dose] starting dose, with planned titration per FDA labeling. I am also requesting that this authorization be granted for a continuous 12-month period subject to documented clinical response, per standard formulary practice. If additional information is required, please contact me directly at [Prescriber phone] or [Prescriber email]. I am available to discuss this case with your medical director if helpful. Thank you for your attention to this request. Sincerely, [Prescriber full signature] [Prescriber printed name, credentials] [Prescriber NPI] [Practice name and address] Attachments: - Current vital signs and BMI calculation - Most recent relevant labs - Documentation of comorbidities - Documentation of prior treatment trials - Sleep study report (if OSA indication) - Cardiac history documentation (if CV indication)
Aviso legal
Plantillas educativas únicamente. No constituyen asesoramiento legal ni médico. Las cartas deben ser firmadas por el clínico tratante (MD, DO, NP, PA) con autoridad de prescripción. Cada plan cambia los criterios trimestralmente. Verifique con el boletín de política de PA más reciente de su plan antes de enviar. No invente hallazgos clínicos. No altere la firma de un clínico.
Why you can trust GLP ChartSame scoring framework applied to every program. No paid placements. No removal of unfavorable information at advertiser request. Pricing is pulled from each program's public-facing page weekly.