How does American Telehealth Review score telehealth providers?

Every provider is scored on a uniform v3.0 six-pillar rubric: Clinical Quality (25 points), Pricing & Value (20 points), Patient Experience (15 points), Safety & Compliance (15 points), Transparency (15 points), and Continuity of Care (10 points). Total possible score is 100 points.

How often are scores updated?

Every provider is fully re-scored every 90 days. Material events such as pricing changes or FDA actions trigger an off-cycle re-scoring within 14 days.

Can providers pay to improve their score?

No. The v3.0 rubric is applied uniformly across all providers. Pillar weights cannot be modified, and Editor's Pick selection is based exclusively on score plus qualitative review.

Journal · Evidence review

SELECT Trial: Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Risk, Explained

What the SELECT trial showed about semaglutide and heart outcomes in people with obesity but without diabetes, in plain language.

Published by Ranika Editorial Group LLCUpdated June 1, 2026

Direct Answer

Does semaglutide reduce heart-attack and stroke risk?

In the SELECT trial (New England Journal of Medicine, 2023), semaglutide 2.4 mg reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events — cardiovascular death, heart attack, or stroke — by about 20% in adults with established cardiovascular disease and obesity but without diabetes. This was a landmark finding beyond weight loss alone.

Disclaimer: American Telehealth Review is an editorial resource and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved finished drug products and should only be prescribed when clinically appropriate by a licensed healthcare provider. Brand-name medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound are FDA-approved under their own applications. Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide are not FDA-approved finished drug products.

What SELECT measured

SELECT enrolled adults with prior cardiovascular disease and overweight/obesity, without diabetes, and followed cardiovascular outcomes over several years. The roughly 20% relative risk reduction supported a cardiovascular benefit independent of glucose lowering.

What it means and doesn't mean

SELECT studied FDA-approved semaglutide under medical supervision. It does not establish the same outcomes for compounded products, which are not FDA-approved. Any cardiovascular use should be guided by a clinician.

~20%

lower risk of major cardiovascular events (CV death, heart attack, stroke) vs placebo

17,604

adults enrolled with CVD and obesity, without diabetes

NEJM 2023

SELECT trial publication

Outcome	Finding (SELECT, 2023)
Primary MACE endpoint	~20% relative risk reduction vs placebo
Population	Established CVD + overweight/obesity, no diabetes
Medication studied	FDA-approved semaglutide 2.4 mg (not a compounded product)

Source: Lincoff AM et al., SELECT, New England Journal of Medicine, 2023.

Frequently asked questions

Did SELECT show semaglutide helps the heart?

Yes; it reduced major cardiovascular events by about 20% in adults with cardiovascular disease and obesity without diabetes.

Does this apply to compounded semaglutide?

SELECT used FDA-approved semaglutide; compounded products were not studied and are not FDA-approved.

Sources

Lincoff AM et al. Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes (SELECT). N Engl J Med. 2023.
Wilding JPH et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1). N Engl J Med. 2021.
U.S. FDA — Medications containing semaglutide and tirzepatide; Compounding and the FDA (fda.gov).