Stalemate breaks on telehealth prescriptions of stimulants and addiction treatment
Nov. 15, 2024
Federal officials on Friday said health providers could prescribe drugs for opioid addiction and ADHD over telehealth for one more year, ending a months-long stalemate among policymakers.
During the pandemic, the Drug Enforcement Agency issued temporary rules that allowed providers to prescribe controlled substances like buprenorphine and Adderall without first meeting a patient in person. Those rules were set to expire on Jan. 1, and have now been extended until the end of 2025. The extension kicks the resolution of a years-long debate — one that has already elicited nearly 40,000 comments on earlier proposed rules — to the second Trump administration, and agency leadership that is yet to be determined.
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The pandemic flexibilities paved the way for a broader conversation about the strict rules that some argue inhibit access to potentially lifesaving treatments. It also proved a boon to telehealth companies that cropped up to provide care under the loosened regime.
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