Done, the leading hybrid (in-person + virtual) psychiatric care platform that connects providers to patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), has expressed concerns through public comments about the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposed rule on the Telemedicine Prescribing of Controlled Substances When the Practitioner and the Patient Have Not Had a Prior In-Person Medical Evaluation. While the ruling is a step in the right direction, in our connected and hybrid world, the rule does not go far enough to preserve and increase patient access to controlled substances for the treatment of substance abuse, mental, and behavioral health issues. This lack of relevancy by the DEA is therefore set to cripple an already-fragile mental-health-patient population.
In this proposed rule, patients are at the risk of being pushed off a telemedicine cliff as the DEA wants to revert to near pre-pandemic policies that require in-person visits with regards to certain medications. Even with a 180-day grace period following when the rules take effect May 11, 2023, the burden remains on the patient to find a provider and with 150 million Americans in what the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has designated as a “federally designated mental-health professional shortage area” that could mean access to previously prescribed medications is abruptly eliminated.
We believe that the decision to mandate a hybrid model or an in-person visit should fall within the authority of the provider, not as part of a blanket regulatory requirement. This allows providers to better optimize their time by deciding who does and does not need to be seen in person and thus allows the patient to receive effective treatment quickly. The reality is that the vast majority of adults in the U.S. are experiencing a mental-health crisis – indeed, a mental-health epidemic – and it’s now time to make mental-health treatment as ubiquitous as the challenge.
Particularly with ADHD medication, patients who have initiated treatment via telehealth and then for a legitimate reason cannot fulfill the in-person requirement may need to discontinue treatment altogether, potentially leading to a declined quality of life due to low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Additional consequences can relate to difficulty in relationships, job instability, negative social interactions, drug and alcohol misuse, and increased mortality rate.
Furthermore, 37% of Americans have almost no access to any of the care they need. Countless individuals do not have access to a mental-health provider as 60% of all counties and 80% of rural counties either have no psychiatrist, may have issues with transportation, and/or may be unable to leave their homes due to their mental illness. These systemic hurdles already force an unfair burden and new measures that require an in-person evaluation will be detrimental to most Americans.
SOURCE: PRWeb