Tag Archives: Epstein Becker & Green

At first blush, the passage of House Bill 5483, entitled the “Special Registration for Telemedicine Clarification Act of 2018” (the “Bill”), appears to address the issue concerning the lack of regulatory guidance regarding the “Special Registration” exception to the Ryan Haight Act of 2008; however, a deeper and more careful analysis reveals that the Bill may not be as effective as most health care practitioners may hope. The Bill, sponsored by Rep. Carter (R-Georgia), a pharmacist, Rep. Bustos (D-Illinois), and nine others, cleared the House on June 12, 2018 without objection. The Bill would require the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”) to promulgate rules that would allow health care providers to apply for a “Special Registration” that would allow a provider to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth without first conducting an initial in-person examination of the patient. A transcript of the testimony in support of the Bill (“Transcript”) reveals enthusiasm by the sponsors of the Bill, as well as by Representatives Pallone (D-New Jersey) and Walden (R-Oregon), who called the Bill “a commonsense measure that cuts through the red tape to provide more treatment options to underserved communities through the use of telemedicine.” While Section 413 of the current version of S.B. 2680 would only give the DEA six months to promulgate such rules, the two bills are very similar and almost guarantee that a law will be signed in the coming months that will require DEA to promulgate rules that will finally create a Special Registration exception to the Ryan Haight Act. While the prospect of rules implementing the Special Registration may be exciting for many practitioners, it should be noted that the DEA has been obligated to create these regulations, and has ignored this obligation, for a decade.

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