WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is announcing three new rules to make permanent some temporary telemedicine flexibilities established during the COVID-19 public health emergency and new patient protections.
In developing these rules, DEA has focused on the patient to ensure telemedicine is accessible for medical care. Importantly, these rules do not apply to telemedicine visits in which a patient has already been seen in person by a medical provider. Once a patient has had an in-person visit with a medical provider, the medical provider may prescribe any medications through telemedicine indefinitely. Also, if a telemedicine visit does not involve a patient being prescribed medications, the telemedicine rules do not apply. Patients can always have telemedicine visits with medical providers. These rules only apply if a patient has never been seen in person by the medical provider and is prescribed controlled medication.
“DEA’s goal is to provide telehealth access for needed medications while ensuring patient safety and preventing the diversion of medications into the illicit drug market,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We understand the difficulties some patients have accessing medical providers in-person, and we want to ease this burden while also providing safeguards to keep patients safe. These rules also mark a significant step forward for patient safety by requiring online telemedicine platforms to register with DEA and taking steps to establish a nationwide Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP).”
Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter
This rule provides patients with remote access to buprenorphine, the medicine used to treat opioid use disorder. This change allows a patient to receive a 6-month supply of buprenorphine through a telephone consultation with a provider. Further prescriptions of buprenorphine will require an in-person visit to a medical provider.