Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation: Flexibilities in Controlled Substances Prescribing and Dispensing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation: Flexibilities in Controlled Substances Prescribing and Dispensing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a report on flexibilities in controlled substances prescribing, including via telehealth, during the pandemic. The federal government issued a range of flexibilities around telehealth, medications for opioid use disorder, licensing, and emergency prescribing to improve access to controlled substances and medications for opioid use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic. Flexibilities allowing for the use of telehealth for controlled substance prescribing and medications for opioid use disorder were the most common flexibilities implemented by states.