Marlton, NJ, January 9, 2019: InSight Telepsychiatry has written to support recommendations for the special registration process for telemedicine under Ryan Haight. The recommendations were recently created and shared by the American Telemedicine Association with several key members at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). With the creation of a special registration for telemedicine, more providers would have the opportunity to help address the opioid crisis and other public health concerns. The recommendations in summary are:
1. Update the current DEA registration process to specify distinctions between traditional and telemedicine prescribing privileges
2. Allow both sites and prescribers to register for telemedicine
3. Allow for a public comment period within the one-year timeline for special registration activation
4. Ensure that telemedicine special registration is not restricted to any single discipline
5. Allow telemedicine prescribers to apply for DEA registration numbers in multiple states at once
Leveraging Telemedicine to improve access to Health Care
Due to restrictions set forth by the Ryan Haight Act, hundreds of providers who are passionate about leveraging telemedicine to improve access to care have been limited in their ability to provide their full range of services. This includes appropriately prescribing controlled substances like buprenorphine through Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Programs that leverage telemedicine to combat the opioid crisis. It also includes the services of child and adolescent psychiatry providers who practice via telehealth and often serve children who would benefit from the appropriate prescribing of stimulants—
a controlled substance that is restricted by the Ryan Haight Act and that is also considered to be the best practice for treating ADHD. InSight is the leading national telepsychiatry organization and employs hundreds of psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners who would be able to utilize the special registration to provide much-needed care to more people.
With the passage of the Substance Use–Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act of 2018, the DEA has the explicit deadline of October 24, 2019 to create this long-promised special registration for telemedicine. DEA has the opportunity to make several measured changes that would catapult the reach of telemedicine providers like those at InSight to help resolve critical public health needs.
Read InSight’s letter of support and the full ATA recommendations here.
