Make your voice heard! We break down an upcoming DEA proposal that makes it harder for everyone to access Schedule II drugs via telehealth (aka Adderall, Ritalin, and other stimulants).
It's not too late to do something! The opportunity to comment on this proposal ends March 18, so we've made it easy for you to get involved.
If you are ready to leave a comment for the DEA, do that here.
If you need help figuring out what to say, just follow these steps:
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Still not sure why we're concerned? There are two critical parts that cause concern.
Problem # 1: Practitioners would need to be located in the same state as the patient at the time of the encounter when issuing a Schedule II controlled substance prescription.
This means our choice in doctor is greatly limited to providers in our area, and we cannot continue care with a good doctor if we move to a new state.
An estimated 55% of U.S. counties don't have a local psychiatrist, and 70% lack a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Patients in these areas rely on telehealth visits for their medical care.
Problem #2: The average monthly number of Schedule II controlled substances prescribed via telemedicine would need to be limited to less than 50% of the practitioner’s total Schedule II prescriptions (including both telemedicine prescriptions and non-telemedicine prescriptions).
This creates a perverse incentive for doctors to prescribe less effective or inappropriate non-stimulant medications if their practice is above the 50% quota.
It also means doctors may choose to not accept us and decline to take on new ADHD patients, which creates a dangerous situation where ADHDers lack access to medical care.
Medical decisions should be based on the client's unique symptoms and situation, not an arbitrary quota.
Want to read more? Here's an analysis by the American Psychiatric Association, where they said "Erecting these overly restrictive barriers to virtual care will limit our ability to serve our patients. It may force clinicians to limit their practice to only those who have the means and ability to travel to in-person care.”