Head-to-head · WeighScore
Ascend Vitality vs Luma Health Co
The verdict
Luma Health Co takes it — 74.8/100 to 60.9/100.
Luma Health Co grades higher on WeighScore, our editorial score across cost value, dose & formulation, clinical oversight, labs & monitoring, fulfillment and contract terms. Luma Health Co is a nurse-practitioner-led virtual weight-loss and wellness clinic founded by Tiffani McKnight, FNP-C.
We may earn a commission if you start care through some of these links, at no extra cost to you. It never moves the WeighScore, which is the weighted average of the six factors shown for every provider, and what we write about a provider is the same either way. See our disclosure.
Factor by factor
The same six graded dimensions, side by side. See the methodology.
The numbers
| Metric | Ascend Vitality | Luma Health Co |
|---|---|---|
| WeighScore | 60.9/100 | 74.8/100 |
| Grade | C | C |
| Scorecard rank | #307 | #62 |
| Semaglutide | $199/mo (compounded) | $120/mo (plus a separate fee, compounded) |
| Tirzepatide | $299/mo (compounded) | $180/mo (compounded) |
| Coverage | Coverage not published | 30 states |
| Brand-name access | Compounded only | Compounded only |
| Oral / sublingual | Yes | Injection only |
Graded #307 · C
Strengths
- Both injectable and needle-free oral tablet forms of semaglutide and tirzepatide
- LegitScript certified
- Transparent cash-pay pricing with cancel-anytime subscription
- Legal entity and address publicly disclosed (Ascend Vitality LLC, Sheridan, WY)
Where it loses points
- All medications are compounded — FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety/effectiveness
- No named compounding pharmacy partner disclosed
- No public state-by-state availability list (homepage cites exclusions: LA, MS, KS, NM, WV)
- Per-dose/titration pricing not published; only 'starting at' prices shown
Graded #62 · C
Strengths
- Transparent, competitive pricing published up front — compounded semaglutide from $120/mo, tirzepatide from $180/mo, retatrutide from $170/mo
- No subscription, monthly fee or membership — a direct-to-patient model where you pay per medication, and follow-up visits are free
- Free initial consults for first responders, law enforcement, military, nurses and teachers ($0), and $25 for other healthcare workers
- Founded and led by a named family nurse practitioner (Tiffani McKnight, FNP-C) licensed across 30 states/DC, with HIPAA-compliant virtual visits
- HSA/FSA funds and financing accepted, with itemized invoices for HSA/FSA submission
Where it loses points
- Offers compounded retatrutide (labeled "RTT/GLP-3"), an investigational triple agonist not FDA-approved — a higher-risk, less-studied option
- Compounded medications only — no brand-name Wegovy, Zepbound or Ozempic — and compounded GLP-1s aren't FDA-reviewed or approved
- No LegitScript certification shown and no compounding-pharmacy partner named, so the dispensing pharmacy can't be independently verified
- Small, newly established founder-led practice with a thin website and limited public track record or third-party reviews
- Medication prices are "starting at" and billed on top of a one-time consult fee, so the true first-month cost runs higher than the headline
Also worth a look
Neither is our top-graded pick — CoreAge Rx leads the scorecard
Across all 499 providers, CoreAge Rx grades highest at 91.8/100 (A−). Top of the scorecard: flat transparent pricing, both molecules, nationwide — no teaser-rate games.
Pricing/verification reflect each provider's public disclosures at last grading; the WeighScore is our editorial judgment per the methodology. Prices change — confirm on each provider's site. Not medical advice; see our disclosure.