Statement attributable to:
Omar T. Atiq, MD, FACP
President, ACP
WASHINGTON May 12, 2023 – The Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ (ACP) is grateful that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recognized the important role that telemedicine prescribing serves in patient care and issued a 6-month extension that will allow the prescribing of controlled substances by telemedicine to continue. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic we saw how the increased use of telemedicine to provide health care services improved access for patients. Patients who lack transportation, have busy schedules, or simply feel too badly to travel to a medical office, and others, all benefit from being able to access medical services from their physician regardless of their location.
We are encouraged that, by issuing this extension, the DEA understands how this improved access benefits patients who need controlled substances and the physicians who prescribe them. We call on the DEA to maintain this policy beyond the current 6-month extension and look forward to providing them additional feedback.
***
About the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½
°Õ³ó±ð Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½â€¯is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 160,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on  , and .
Contact: Jacquelyn Blaser, (202) 261-4572, jblaser@acponline.org