What to bring your doctor
A Bridge request can move in one visit when the right information is in the room. Here's the short list — and the one thing most patients won't think to bring that helps the most.
The essentials
- Your Medicare drug plan card — coverage type matters for the routing.
- Current medication list — including any GLP-1 you take now and how you pay for it. "I buy it through LillyDirect" is a sentence worth saying out loud; self-pay use doesn't count against you.
- Weight history — current weight, and your weight when GLP-1 therapy started if you're already on one. The starting number is the one the criteria assess.
- Diagnosis support — if your pathway depends on a condition (HFpEF, uncontrolled hypertension, CKD stage 3a+, prediabetes, prior heart attack or stroke, symptomatic PAD), recent notes or labs that document it.
- Your weight-management story — a few sentences on diet, activity, programs, and prior medications. It helps your doctor document the visit properly.
The thing nobody thinks to bring: instructions for a brand-new program
Your doctor has likely never written a Bridge prescription — nobody has before July 1, 2026. The prescription needs an E66 obesity diagnosis code and the note "SEND TO BRIDGE FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT," and the prior authorization arrives through an unusual pharmacy-initiated flow. A one-page summary of those steps, sourced from CMS's own prescriber fact sheet, is the difference between "let me look into this" and a prescription sent the same day. That page is part of our doctor request packet.
What to leave at home
Demands and certainties. "I qualify and I want this approved" makes a careful clinician slow down; "here's my information — could we review whether this is appropriate?" speeds things up. The facts do the persuading.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need lab results?
If a qualifying condition is part of your pathway, supporting labs help. Your clinician decides what's needed.
Who handles the prior authorization?
Your prescriber — the request comes to them from the pharmacy, usually within 24–72 hours of the claim.
Can I print the materials from this site?
Yes. The screener result and doctor message print free; the full packet adds PDF download.
Sources and review status: Content reviewed June 12, 2026, based on published CMS materials including the prescriber fact sheet (CMS Product No. 12235). Check current CMS materials: CMS Bridge overview, beneficiary information, provider information.