On October 15, a group of eighteen U.S. Congressmembers, led by Representative Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) and Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-Georgia), urged the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to extend flexibilities for telemedicine prescribing of controlled substances, so that patients continue to have access to care at the start of the new year.
Congress has repeatedly directed the DEA to create a Special Registration for Telemedicine process, first through the Ryan Haight Online Consumer Protection Act of 2008, and again in with the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act in 2018. The DEA has taken important steps to fulfill this statutory obligation. However, several members of Congress are concerned by reports that the draft proposed rule would significantly limit telemedicine prescriptions moving forward.
Lawmakers wrote, “If the reporting is true, the proposed content of the rule seems misaligned with Congressional intent in authorizing such a Special Registration process. Such a rule may unnecessarily risk care for thousands of patients reliant on telemedicine for critical medications.”
“Given the gravity of the situation and the impending cliff, we urge DEA to act in a timely manner to extend flexibilities for telemedicine prescribing on controlled substances,” the lawmakers concluded.
Read the full text of the letter here.