DEA extends telehealth prescribing rules amidst pandemic.

Federal regulators have extended the pandemic-era rules that allow doctors to prescribe controlled substances using telehealth for another six months, meaning there will be no requirement of an in-person visit to get a prescription. The DEA and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration had previously planned to roll back that allowance, but the proposal drew an enormous response from doctors and patients who argued that reverting to the old rules would cut off access to care that patients have come to rely on over the last three and a half years. Many practitioners say it's impossible to imagine going backward on telehealth, and are already assuming the shift toward a hybrid model of both remote and in-person care is here to stay.