On January 30, a statement released by the Biden Administration announced that the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023. The PHE was set to expire on April 11, but the Administration announced its plan to extend the emergency declaration one additional month to avoid an abrupt end to policy flexibilities that were enacted under the PHE.
The Administration warned that “millions of patients, including many of our nation’s veterans, who rely on telehealth would suddenly be unable to access critical clinical services and medications.” In response, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stated its intent to propose permanent regulations to address the prescribing of controlled substances by telehealth. The DEA is years behind schedule in meeting its October 2019 deadline to create a special telehealth registration for the prescribing of controlled substances via telehealth.
Read the White House’s announcement here.
View the telehealth registration regulatory agenda item here.
Learn more here.
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Source of statement that registration is overdue: https://www.americantelemed.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Stakeholder-letter-to-DEA-11.11-FINAL.pdf