The Biden administration is moving to require patients see a doctor in person before getting drugs to treat attention deficit disorders or addictive painkillers, toughening access amid a deepening opioid crisis. The proposal is likely to overhaul the way millions of Americans get their prescriptions after relying on doctor’s appointments by computer or phone during the pandemic. Doctors will no longer be able to use telehealth to prescribe drugs that the federal government says have the the most potential to be abused Vicodin, OxyContin, Adderall and Ritalin, for example. The Drug Enforcement Administration will also clamp down on how other, less addictive drugs can be prescribed over virtual and phone visits.
The Biden administration moved Friday to require patients see a doctor in person before getting attention deficit disorder medication or addictive painkillers.