Telehealth Providers Urge DEA to Extend Pandemic Waiver for Prescribing Controlled Substances

Oct 10, 2024, 01:42 PM

Telehealth providers prescribing controlled substances face chaos as pandemic-era flexibilities are set to end in just months, with no new rules in sight. The DEA had granted a 2020 legal waiver allowing telehealth startups to prescribe controlled substances without requiring an in-person doctor visit. With these flexibilities ending, telehealth leaders are pressing the DEA to extend the waiver, blaming the agency for putting their businesses at serious risk. Silicon Valley telehealth startups, launched during the pandemic, are now engaging in policy advocacy for the first time.