ASAM Supports DEA and HHS Final Rule on Telemedicine Initiation of Buprenorphine Treatment for OUD

Rockville, MD (Jan. 16, 2025) – In response to the Drug Enforcement Administration and Health and Human Services’ final rule, Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter, Brian Hurley, MD, MBA, FAPA, DFASAM, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), issued the following statement:  

“ASAM commends this final rule on the expansion of buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) through audio-video or audio-only telemedicine encounters when the prescriber has not conducted an in-person medical evaluation of the patient prior to issuing a prescription.  

The final rule contains notable improvements from the original 2023 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), such as significantly expanding the originally proposed initial 30-day prescription limitation to six months, removing the requirement for an in-person medical evaluation to issue additional prescriptions, introducing reasonable safeguards to protect against diversion, including a requirement for the remote prescriber to review the prescription drug monitoring program data of the patient’s state, and avoiding burdensome recordkeeping requirements initially proposed in the original NPRM.  

Once effective, this final rule will permanently preserve some of the critical, lifesaving telemedicine initiation flexibilities for buprenorphine treatment for OUD. These flexibilities, originally established under the first Trump administration, would remain in place beyond the temporary telemedicine extension set to expire on December 31, 2025. 

Additionally, the extension of a 30-day limit to six months allows the addiction medicine community to further study the impacts of this policy and adapt best practices to ensure patients with OUD have uninterrupted access to this lifesaving medication.  

ASAM appreciates this thoughtful final rule and looks forward to participating in ongoing discussions about the proposed rulemaking on special registrations for telemedicine and potential legislative action.” 

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About the American Society of Addiction Medicine    

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), founded in 1954, is a professional medical society representing over 7,000 physicians, clinicians, and associated professionals in the field of addiction medicine. ASAM is dedicated to increasing access and improving the quality of addiction treatment, educating physicians and the public, supporting research and prevention and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addiction. For more information, visit www.ASAM.org.