in effect
This is a procedural action by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that delays the effective dates of two previously finalized rules dealing with telemedicine prescribing. It also opens a brief public comment window specifically on the question of whether the delay is appropriate and whether it should be extended further.
Two rules published January 17, 2025 — one allowing DEA-registered doctors to prescribe buprenorphine (an opioid addiction treatment) via telemedicine including audio-only calls, and one allowing VA doctors to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine to veterans previously seen in person by any VA provider — had been set to take effect February 18, 2025. That effective date is now pushed to March 21, 2025, a delay of about one month, triggered by a January 20, 2025 White House memo ordering agencies to pause new rules pending review. The substance of both rules is unchanged; only the start date moves. During the delay period, practitioners can still prescribe via telemedicine under a separate COVID-era flexibility rule that remains in effect through December 31, 2025. Public comments on the delay must be submitted by February 28, 2025.
DEA-registered healthcare providers who prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, and VA practitioners who treat veterans remotely, are the primary groups affected — they must wait until at least March 21, 2025 for the new permanent rules to govern their practice, though existing temporary rules keep current telemedicine prescribing authority intact in the meantime. Patients receiving or seeking opioid use disorder treatment or VA care via telemedicine are indirectly affected, but the agencies note there should be no practical gap in coverage due to the COVID-era backstop.