The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Issues Proposed Rule for Telemedicine Registration
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a proposed rule to balance patient access to care, compliance with existing laws, and maintaining safeguards against diversion of controlled substances. The DEA has created a new registration application form, Form 224S, and defined covered online telemedicine platforms that would enable telemedicine prescribing for narcotic and non-narcotic controlled substances. The special registrations would be on a three-year cycle and include additional prescription requirements (such as checking the state and eventually the national Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) database and including the special registration numbers on the electronic prescription). The rule includes a special registration, “Advanced Telemedicine Prescribing Registration,” for palliative care physicians, hospice care physicians, and board-certified mid-level practitioners in hospice and palliative care; clinicians would need to demonstrate their specialized training on their registration form.