After delaying the final rule for ending COVID-19 telehealth prescribing rules, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has issued a temporary rule to allow the following:
- The full set of telemedicine flexibilities regarding prescription of controlled medications that were in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will remain in place through 11, 2023.
- Additionally, any practitioner-patient telemedicine relationships established on or before Nov. 11, 2023 will continue to be permitted the full set of telemedicine flexibilities regarding prescription of controlled medications as were in place during the COVID-19 PHE through a one-year grace period until Nov. 11, 2024. In other words, if a patient and a practitioner have established a telemedicine relationship on or before Nov. 11, 2023, the same telemedicine flexibilities that have governed the relationship to that point are permitted until Nov. 11, 2024.
In the meantime, the DEA is continuing to evaluate the rule and anticipates implementation of a final regulation permitting the practice of telemedicine under certain circumstances. The goal of this temporary rule is to ensure a smooth transition for patients and practitioners that have come to rely on the availability of telemedicine for controlled medication prescriptions, as well as allowing adequate time for providers to come into compliance with any new standards or safeguards put into place by the DEA.
Members with questions should contact Renée Smiddy at the MHA.