CoverMyMeds (McKesson) vs Develop Health
Two Prior Authorization vendors, side by side. Facts from public sources; judgments are ours.
At a glance
Derived from public facts · a rough scale, not a ranking
| CoverMyMeds (McKesson) | Develop Health | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free to providers (funded by payers/pharma) · Payers, PBMs, pharma fund the network | Free to providers (funded by payers/pharma) · pharma-funded, free for prescribers |
| Speed to go live | Free self-serve portal; EHR-embedded options exist | API integration into existing EHR workflow |
| Automation model | Data / network utility · medication ePA network and portal | Autonomous agents · automated benefit checks and PA submission |
| Built for | Small practices, Mid-size groups, Enterprise systems, Payers | Small practices, Mid-size groups, Enterprise systems |
| Security posture | No certifications published | HIPAA |
| Company maturity | 18 yrs (est. 2008) | 4 yrs (est. 2022) |
| Financial backing | Subsidiary of McKesson | $17.6M · Series A |
| Named customers | None public | 4 named |
| Published results | No public numbers | No public numbers |
| Documented integrations | 5 listed | 2 listed |
| Third-party validation | None found | None found |
Bottom line
- Pick CoverMyMeds if you want free electronic prior auth for medications with the broadest payer and pharmacy network.
- Pick Develop Health if medication prior auths bottleneck your prescribers and you want end-to-end PA automation at no cost to the practice.
CoverMyMeds (McKesson)
The largest electronic prior authorization network for medications
- Founded
- 2008
- HQ
- Columbus, OH
- Stage
- Subsidiary of McKesson
- Raised
- n/a
What it does
- Electronic prior authorization for retail and specialty drugs
- Specialty enrollment and hub services (RxLightning)
- Medical benefit PA for oncology and radiology (FastAuth)
- Benefit checks and prescription price transparency
- Patient affordability and copay program delivery
Where it's strong
- Network effects are real: it completed 43 million prior authorizations in the 2025 reverification season and most prescribers already have accounts.
- Free for providers and pharmacies, which makes adoption easy.
- McKesson ownership ties it into specialty distribution and pharma services that competitors cannot match.
What buyers should weigh
- Coverage is payer-dependent and shifting: Independence Blue Cross dropped CoverMyMeds for Surescripts ePA in August 2025, so verify your payer mix routes through it.
- It centers on medication PA; medical benefit and procedure prior auth needs mostly require other tools despite the FastAuth acquisition.
- Its revenue comes from pharma and payers, so provider-side feature priorities can lag.
Integrations
Develop Health
AI benefit verification and prior auth for prescriptions
- Founded
- 2022
- HQ
- Menlo Park, CA
- Stage
- Series A
- Raised
- $17.6M
What it does
- Real-time benefit verification with plan-specific cost and coverage
- Predicts coverage and PA requirements at point of prescription
- Generates and submits prescription prior authorization packages
- Drafts appeals and manages denials automatically
- Returns structured coverage data into the prescriber's EHR
Where it's strong
- Purpose-built for prescription drug access (benefit checks plus medication PA), a narrower and deeper wedge than general prior auth vendors.
- Named traction with high-volume telehealth prescribers like Ro and LifeMD, where GLP-1 coverage friction makes the ROI easy to measure.
- Founders came from Canvas Medical and Rupa Health, so the product is built around real prescriber workflow integration rather than a standalone portal.
What buyers should weigh
- Total funding of $17.6 million and a 2022 founding date make this an early-stage vendor bet; assess team depth and support model before committing core volume.
- Public proof points are concentrated in telehealth and virtual care companies, so traditional health systems and pharmacies will find fewer reference customers.
- Scope is medications only; if you also need procedure, imaging, or DME prior auth, you will still need another vendor.
Named customers
Ro · LifeMD · Calibrate · Sunrise
Integrations
Compare against the rest of Prior Authorization
Deciding between these two?
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