The Biden administration has proposed new restrictions that would make it even harder for Americans to get certain medications.
As if things were not hard enough?
A new proposal from the DEA will make Adderall and opioid painkillers harder to get if the patient is trying to get medications via telehealth services – which expanded during the pandemic leading to shortages of drugs.
The DEA’s crackdown on using telehealth services came amid the explosion in new prescriptions being given to patients for the first time.
The new proposed rules will allow doctors to “remotely prescribe a 30-day supply of some drugs, including buprenorphine—used to treat opioid-use disorder—as well as ketamine and testosterone.”
“Further prescriptions would require at least one in-person visit. Other drugs, including Adderall, Ritalin, and OxyContin, would require patients to meet in-person with prescribers first or be referred from a doctor they met in person,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
According to Axios, relaxed rules during the pandemic fueled a telehealth boom and have been widely lauded for improving access to care during a crisis
The DEA says the new rules do not affect the following:
- Telemedicine consultations that do not involve the prescribing of controlled medications
- Telemedicine consultations by a medical practitioner that has previously conducted an in-person medical examination of a patient
- Telemedicine consultations and prescriptions by a medical practitioner to whom a patient has been referred, as long as the referring medical practitioner has previously conducted an in-person medical examination of the patient.
“DEA is committed to ensuring that all Americans can access needed medications,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.
“The permanent expansion of telemedicine flexibilities would continue greater access to care for patients across the country, while ensuring the safety of patients. DEA is committed to the expansion of telemedicine with guardrails that prevent the online overprescribing of controlled medications that can cause harm.”
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