Attorneys in Foley’s telemedicine practice, including partner Nathaniel Lacktman, were contributing authors to the American Telemedicine Association letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, advocating for provider-friendly changes to federal controlled substance prescribing rules. The letter urged the DEA to open a special registration process allowing psychiatrists and physicians to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine without the need for an in-person exam. The ATA letter noted that “the interpretation of the [Ryan Haight] Act’s general prohibition of prescribing controlled substances by means of the internet has become overly restrictive.”
The ATA workgroup developed recommendations for a DEA special registration process, structured with telepsychiatry particularly in mind, as many patients are experiencing shortages in mental health professionals. The letter proposed five key elements:
- Distinctions between telepsychiatry prescribing and other telemedicine prescribing
- The creation of a mechanism for sites/facilities (not just individual prescribers) to register to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine
- Suggestions on how to update DEA Form 224 to contemplate telemedicine special registration
- Suggestions for eligibility requirements of applicants seeking telemedicine special registration
- Legal and regulatory background information, including the history and legislative intent of the Ryan Haight Act
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