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AHA today urged the Drug Enforcement Administration to release its proposed rules outlining a special registration process for prescribing medically necessary controlled substances via telehealth after the COVID-19 public health emergency; provide an interim plan to support continuity of care if the PHE expires before the rules are finalized; and grant a permanent exception for separate registrations for practitioners in states that have medical licensing reciprocity requirements.

“[T]here is growing concern that the pending expiration of the COVID-19 PHE and its associated waivers, combined with the lack of a special registration regulation, will leave providers in a position where they will need to cut services and leave patients without access to necessary treatment,” AHA wrote. “With the expiration of the COVID-19 PHE currently scheduled for next year, this situation could come to pass as early as mid-January.”