FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT
Chris Adamec; cadamec@connectwithcare.org
DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION (DEA) RELEASES THIRD EXTENSION, ENSURING CERTAINTY AND ACCESS TO PATIENTS
November 15, 2024
WASHINGTON DC – The Alliance for Connected Care applauds the third temporary extension of controlled substance prescribing via telemedicine rulemaking by the DEA. This one-year extension is an important step to ensure predictable access for patients, as requested by the Alliance for Connected Care and more than 300 other organizations earlier this year.
“We are pleased to see the DEA act to ensure patient care is not interrupted next month,” said Chris Adamec, executive director of the Alliance for Connected Care. “We look forward to working with the Trump Administration next year to finish the work they started in 2020 through a permanent rulemaking that creates access to comprehensive medical care, including a controlled substance when necessary, through telemedicine.”
This extension continues expanded access for all Americans, including those who may experience barriers to other types of care. These include individuals in remote rural areas, who are homebound and lack transportation, who live in areas with provider shortages, and people of all kinds whose caregiving responsibilities serve as a barrier to care.
The Alliance has long pushed for expanded access to comprehensive medical care through telemedicine, including when a controlled substance is an appropriate treatment – calling for the DEA to fulfill the bipartisan congressional mandate for a telemedicine special registration process. The Alliance strongly supports the development and implementation of a permanent policy for the prescribing of controlled substances though telemedicine to ensure these individuals do not lose access – as these are fundamental, ongoing health care access challenges for which telehealth is uniquely suited to address.
The Alliance will continue to convene patients, health care practitioners, employers, and many others who are working to ensure a future in which all Americans have access to robust and comprehensive medical care remotely.