Dying patients protest looming DEA telehealth crackdown

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed a brand new rule to cut back unsuitable prescribing of probably addictive medicine, which have been allowed to be prescribed on-line because of emergency waivers right through the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal targets to reinstate lots of the prior to now longstanding necessities that docs see patients in particular person ahead of prescribing narcotic medicine reminiscent of Oxycontin and amphetamines reminiscent of Adderall. The DEA plans to finalize the guideline through May 11, when the COVID public well being emergency formally ends. The proposal has sparked backlash, with calls to rethink positive provisions or to permit exceptions for faraway prescribing. Critics say the guideline would prolong or block get admission to for patients who search medically assisted suicide and hospice care, as many are too unwell to go back and forth or reside some distance from certified suppliers. Given the continued opioid epidemic, on the other hand, permitting persisted large use of telemedicine prescribing “would pose too great a risk to the public health and safety,” the proposed rule stated.