Seventy-two organizations submitted a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration asking to remove the requirement that patients be evaluated in-person before being prescribed controlled substances via telemedicine.
The DEA is developing a special registration process for telemedicine use to prescribe controlled substances under the Ryan Haight Act, which requires physicians issuing a prescription for a controlled substance to conduct an in-person medical evaluation beforehand. The agency waived this requirement during the COVID-19 public health emergency, which allowed clinicians to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth, but the waiver is coming to an end.
The American Psychiatric Association, the American Telemedicine Association and ATA Action, who convened the collection of organizations, is urging the DEA and HHS to ask Congress to permanently remove the prior in-person requirement and any restrictions on the location of the patient, post pandemic.
The organizations noted in their letter that many patients, particularly new patients, will not have access to care after the public health emergency waiver ends.
"Our experience during the pandemic was that telehealth meant our member psychiatrists were able to treat more patients, which was critical as we faced a mental health crisis," Saul Levin, MD, CEO and Medical Director of APA said. "Extending this waiver permanently will ensure patients can continue to access life-saving mental health and substance use treatment, especially those who are geographically distant from their clinicians or face other disparities."