ability to prescribe Regulated dosing will continue until November 11, 2023. If the doctor has already established a telemedicine relationship with the patient, the deadline will be even longer.In such situations, the doctor should Continue prescribing drugs virtually until November 11, 2024.
The extension comes after the DEA received tens of thousands of complaints over a proposal to restore stricter rules governing prescriptions for controlled substances that had been relaxed at the dawn of the pandemic. The extension will allow the agency to review comments while developing permanent rules.controlled substances include drugs Such as Adderall pills for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Oxycodone pain reliever, and Buprenorphine used to treat opioid use disorder.
Miriam E. Delphine-Littmon, The Health Assistant Secretary for Human Services for Mental Health and Substance Use service, it said in a statement.
In March 2020, the U.S. government issued an emergency rule to allow doctors to prescribe controlled substances without in-person contact with patients in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
As the pandemic eases, the federal government will this year draft rules would have forgiven Physicians are required to remotely prescribe the first 30-day supply of some controlled medications, such as buprenorphine for opioid addiction and testosterone for hormone replacement therapy. However, under the proposal, which is now back on the shelf, patients who wanted further replenishment had to see their doctor in person.
Other drugs with a high risk of abuse or dependence, such as Ritalin for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, required face-to-face evaluation from the beginning. Patients already receiving prescriptions through telemedicine.
When the proposal to limit telemedicine prescriptions surfaced, the DEA said: The stricter standards were intended to ensure patients were properly screened by doctors and to combat potential abuse, such as improper prescribing of controlled substances by telemedicine companies. are facing pressure from law enforcement and some health care providers over concerns about the emergence of a digital “pill mill” that allows people to obtain prescription drugs without a valid medical reason.
However, the proposal caused a public backlash, especially regarding buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is a commonly prescribed drug to treat opioid use disorders at a time when overdoses are killing more than 100,000 people a year. It was allowed to send, and the proposed telemedicine limit resulted in a record 38,000 comments.
Many of them came from patients and industry groups, who argued that the restrictions could alienate vulnerable people, such as the homeless, those living in rural areas, and those with disabilities that limit their mobility.
DEA Late Week announced It would extend the flexibility of telemedicine, but did not provide details on how long it would last. It has been praised by groups such as the American Society of Addiction Medicine, who believe it.
In a statement last week, the association’s president, Brian Hurley, said, “The extension is important because ensuring continued access to drugs for addiction treatment is critical to saving lives.” said.
