The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a temporary rule extending the allowance for physicians and practitioners to prescribe controlled medications to new patients based on a relationship solely established through telemedicine (live video or telephone for buprenorphine) until December 31, 2024. The agency received more than 38,000 comments on its proposed telemedicine rules and recently held two days of public listening sessions related to those rules. The agency noted that it is working to promulgate a final set of telemedicine regulations by the fall of 2024, giving patients and medical practitioners time to plan for, and adapt to, the new rules once issued. Accordingly, DEA, jointly with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has extended current telemedicine flexibilities through December 31, 2024. The full text of the extension, entitled “Second Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications,” was submitted to the Federal Register jointly with HHS on September 29.
Click here to view the temporary rule in the Federal Register and for additional information.
