Practice of Telemedicine: Listening Sessions

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is conducting public listening sessions to receive additional input concerning the practice of telemedicine with regards to controlled substances and potential safeguards that could effectively prevent and detect diversion of controlled substances prescribed via telemedicine. Specifically, DEA is inviting all interested persons, including medical practitioners, patients, pharmacy professionals, industry members, law enforcement, and other third parties to express their views at the listening sessions concerning the advisability of permitting telemedicine prescribing of certain controlled substances without any in-person medical evaluation at all, the availability and types of data that would be useful in detecting diversion of controlled substances via telemedicine that are either already reported or could be reported, and specific additional safeguards that could be placed around the prescribing of schedule II controlled substances via telemedicine.