How much does a clinician network cost?

Few networks publish prices. Qualiphy lists $27.99 for good faith exams and consultations on its homepage. MDI sets pricing after a demo, and OpenLoop says its pricing varies by service. Ask each network for per-consult rates, minimums and setup fees at your expected monthly volume.

Can I use more than one clinician network?

Yes. Brands use a second network for another program or as a backup. On thimblehub's Scale, up to three networks can run at once, and each order routes to the right one.

Who are OpenLoop's competitors?

Clinician networks that compete with OpenLoop include MDI, Beluga, Wizlo, Arora, Telegra, SteadyMD, Wheel and Qualiphy, compared in the table above from their own sites. Some, OpenLoop and Telegra among them, also sell intake, portals or e-commerce. Networks we work with include OpenLoop, MDI, Beluga, Wizlo, Arora, Telegra, SteadyMD and Wheel, and we connect any other during setup. thimblehub sets up and runs your checkout, portals and site on the network you pick, or introduces you to one.

Can I switch clinician networks later?

Yes. When your checkout, portals and patient accounts sit with you, a switch changes where new orders route, and patients keep the same checkout and portal. Ask your current network how it hands over medical records.

What's the difference between a clinician network and a telehealth platform?

A clinician network supplies licensed clinicians and the medical practice. A platform runs what patients use: checkout, intake, portals and the site. Some companies sell both. thimblehub sets up and runs the platform side for you, on the network you choose.

Do clinician networks provide the pharmacy too?

Some do. MDI prescribes through pharmacy partners, Beluga says it forces no pharmacy on you, and others route to partners of their own. If you want your own pharmacy, ask before you sign. We connect your pharmacy or introduce one.

How to Find Clinicians for Your Telehealth Startup: Clinician Networks Compared (2026)

To find clinicians for a telehealth startup, most founders contract a clinician network: a medical group whose physicians and nurse practitioners are licensed across states and review your patients under your brand. The other routes are hiring your own clinicians, or a physician-owned practice (a friendly PC) that your company supports with management services.

A network is the fastest way to launch in many states at once. Your own clinicians give you more control once volume justifies the cost. Whichever you choose, thimblehub sets up and runs your checkout, portals and site on it. If you don't have a network yet, we match you with one we work with and set it up.

Three ways to get clinicians

How the three routes compare
Route	How it works	Best for	What you take on
A clinician network	The network's licensed clinicians review your patients under your brand, on protocols agreed with you	A first launch in many states at once	The network's fees, states and protocols, and a contract
Your own clinicians	You hire or contract physicians or nurse practitioners licensed in every state you sell in	Brands with a medical director and steady volume	Licenses in each patient's state, malpractice cover, credentialing and scheduling
A friendly PC	A physician owns the medical practice, and your company provides management services under a contract	Founders who aren't clinicians and want their own medical group	State corporate practice rules, legal setup and a physician owner you trust

Licensure: the FSMB's 2022 telemedicine policy says a physician must be licensed, or otherwise authorized, by the medical board of the state where the patient is located. Ownership: the Medical Board of California, for example, treats non-physicians owning or operating a business that offers diagnosis or treatment as practicing medicine without a license. Checked October 12, 2026.

Whichever route you pick, clinical decisions stay with licensed clinicians. California's medical board lists decisions that can't be handed to an unlicensed person or a management company, from which tests to order to how many patients a physician must see. Have a healthcare attorney review your structure before launch.

Clinician networks compared (2026)

Each row comes from the network's own site. Only Qualiphy shows a price on its homepage, so ask the others for a quote at your expected monthly volume.

Networks, from their own sites
Network	What it offers, by its own account	States it claims	Pharmacy	Price on its site
MD Integrations (MDI)	Physician-only network built for async care; an API plus Shopify and WooCommerce; 200+ healthcare companies	All 50, plus DC and Guam	E-prescribing through pharmacy partners	No, tailored after a demo
OpenLoop	Clinicians plus intake, portal, EHR, payments and video; 400+ virtual care brands	All 50	Nationwide pharmacy and lab network	No, varies by service
Beluga Health	Physician-led care, prescribing and pharmacy routing behind your brand, with APIs	All 50, plus DC	No forced pharmacy	Not on its homepage
Wizlo	Provider network with an EMR, patient portal, labs and wearables	All 50	Routes to pharmacies with state coverage	No
Arora Health	Good faith exams, medical director matching and pre-built protocols for wellness practices	Medical director licenses in all 50	Lists a compounding pharmacy	No
Telegra	Board-certified providers with e-commerce, a patient portal, a branded app and an API	All 50, for providers and pharmacies	Pharmacy routing you control	On a separate plans page
CareValidate	Clinicians, e-commerce and growth services, with sync and async care	Not stated on its homepage	Compounded medication fulfillment	No
SteadyMD	Phone, messaging and video visits, sync and async; 200,000+ visits a month	All 50	Not stated	No
Wheel	Board-certified clinicians and the Wheel Horizon platform, for digital health, pharma and health plans	All 50	Not stated	No
Qualiphy	Good faith exams, video visits and prescriptions for med spas and clinics, including GLP-1s	Not stated on its homepage	Ships to the patient or their pharmacy	$27.99 for exams and consults

From each network's own homepage, plus MDI's FAQ, checked October 12, 2026. Offers change often, so confirm terms with each network before you sign.

What to ask a clinician network

States and visit types. Which states can it serve for your products, and in which states does it require a video visit?
Turnaround. How long from a submitted intake to a clinical decision, on weekdays and on weekends?
Protocols. Who writes the clinical protocols for your products, and can your medical director change them?
Controlled substances. Can it run programs such as TRT, and what's its plan if the federal telemedicine flexibilities end on December 31, 2026? Our Ryan Haight Act guide covers the rules.
Pharmacy choice. Can prescriptions go to your own pharmacy, or only to the network's partners?
Your data. Will it sign a BAA, and how do you get patient records out if you leave?
Pricing and minimums. What does a consult cost at your volume, and are there monthly minimums or setup fees?
Capacity. How many consults a day can it handle in your busiest states?
Ad clearance. Will it support your LegitScript application with clinician credentials and protocol answers?

Status as of October 12, 2026. Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance. DEA and HHS telemedicine flexibilities let clinicians prescribe controlled medications without an in-person visit through December 31, 2026 (90 FR 61301). DEA's special registration rule for telemedicine, proposed January 17, 2025, hasn't been finalized. A final version has been under White House review (OIRA) since August 25, 2026.

Steps to get clinicians live under your brand

A network chosen
You choose a network and agree terms with it directly. No network yet? We introduce you to ones we work with.
States and protocols confirmed
Your network confirms the states, visit types and protocols for each of your products.
A pharmacy chosen
You choose where prescriptions go: the network's pharmacy or your own. We can introduce pharmacies.
Network connected
thimblehub connects your network during setup and routes each order, and each prescription, to the right place.
A test order, together
You and our team run a test order together, through every step a patient takes.

Test orderYour admin portalPaymentPaidClinical reviewApprovedPharmacyDispatched

When to bring clinicians in house

Brands often start on a network and add their own clinicians state by state as volume grows. Before you do, price the licenses, malpractice cover and credentialing for every state you sell in. The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact gives qualified physicians an expedited path to licenses in its member states, and our licensure compact guide compares it with the nurse and APRN compacts.

When your checkout, portals and patient accounts sit with you, moving to new clinicians changes where orders route, and patients keep the same checkout and portal.

How thimblehub works with your network

thimblehub is fully managed. We set up and run your checkout and intake (thimblecart), your patient and admin portals (thimbleportal) and your brand site (thimblesites), and route each order to the network you choose. Networks we work with include MDI, OpenLoop, Beluga, Wizlo, Arora, Telegra, SteadyMD and Wheel, and we connect any other network during setup, including every one in the table above. On Scale, up to three networks can run at once, such as one for weight care and another for hormone therapy.

No network yet? We introduce you to networks we work with, and you agree terms with them directly. The networks we work with or introduce can handle controlled-substance programs such as TRT. We also introduce pharmacies, set up lab testing (at-home kits, walk-in draws and mobile phlebotomy), and point you to people we trust for legal advice and LegitScript prep, which our LegitScript guide walks through.

Any network, any pharmacy

See how orders route from your checkout to the clinician network and pharmacy you choose.

See integrations

What one call to thimblehub gets you

One call: we help you choose a route and introduce networks and pharmacies we work with if you need them. We set up and run your checkout, portals and site on the network you pick, with a signed BAA and your own payment processor (such as Stripe). Ad tracking setup comes with your site, as our Meta ads guide explains. As fast as 3 days after you sign. It takes longer if you still need a pharmacy or clinicians, are waiting on LegitScript certification, want website design revisions, are planning marketing with us, or need custom builds. Here's what setup looks like.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a clinician network cost?: Few networks publish prices. Qualiphy lists $27.99 for good faith exams and consultations on its homepage. MDI sets pricing after a demo, and OpenLoop says its pricing varies by service. Ask each network for per-consult rates, minimums and setup fees at your expected monthly volume.
Can I use more than one clinician network?: Yes. Brands use a second network for another program or as a backup. On thimblehub's Scale, up to three networks can run at once, and each order routes to the right one.
Who are OpenLoop's competitors?: Clinician networks that compete with OpenLoop include MDI, Beluga, Wizlo, Arora, Telegra, SteadyMD, Wheel and Qualiphy, compared in the table above from their own sites. Some, OpenLoop and Telegra among them, also sell intake, portals or e-commerce. Networks we work with include OpenLoop, MDI, Beluga, Wizlo, Arora, Telegra, SteadyMD and Wheel, and we connect any other during setup. thimblehub sets up and runs your checkout, portals and site on the network you pick, or introduces you to one.
Can I switch clinician networks later?: Yes. When your checkout, portals and patient accounts sit with you, a switch changes where new orders route, and patients keep the same checkout and portal. Ask your current network how it hands over medical records.
What's the difference between a clinician network and a telehealth platform?: A clinician network supplies licensed clinicians and the medical practice. A platform runs what patients use: checkout, intake, portals and the site. Some companies sell both. thimblehub sets up and runs the platform side for you, on the network you choose.
Do clinician networks provide the pharmacy too?: Some do. MDI prescribes through pharmacy partners, Beluga says it forces no pharmacy on you, and others route to partners of their own. If you want your own pharmacy, ask before you sign. We connect your pharmacy or introduce one.

Questions, or a topic you'd like us to cover? Book a call or email hello@thimblehub.com.

How to find clinicians for your telehealth startup: clinician networks compared (2026)

Three ways to get clinicians

Clinician networks compared (2026)

What to ask a clinician network

Steps to get clinicians live under your brand

A network chosen

States and protocols confirmed

A pharmacy chosen

Network connected

A test order, together

When to bring clinicians in house

How thimblehub works with your network

What one call to thimblehub gets you

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Try it with your brand

Keep reading

Your telehealth, fully managed