Telehealth groups urge feds to extend virtual prescribing flexibilities

Telehealth groups urge feds to extend virtual prescribing flexibilities  
Healthcare IT News; by Mike Miliard; 9/11/24 
With just four months to go until the scheduled expiration of Drug Enforcement Administration flexibilities on virtual prescribing of controlled substances, a long list of hundreds of healthcare stakeholders is calling on Congress and the White House to extend them before "countless patients [are] abandoned, left without lifesaving clinically appropriate care." Led by the American Telemedicine Association and its ATA Action arm, more than 330 disparate organizations have signed on to an effort urging federal officials to extend pandemic-era allowances for virtual prescribing that "have been a lifeline for countless individuals across the country, ensuring uninterrupted access to essential mental health care, substance use treatment, end-of-life care, and many other crucial treatments during a time when in-person visits were impossible or unsafe."