Since March 2020, HHS and DEA have allowed health care practitioners to initiate controlled medications via a telehealth visit without first conducting an in-person medical evaluation, representing a substantial change in how these medications, and the conditions they are used to treat, can be managed. In November 2024, HHS and DEA issued a third extension of the flexibilities, effective through December 31, 2025. Data that describe patterns of controlled medication use during these periods with increased telehealth flexibility are essential for informing future telehealth prescribing policies beyond this extension. This data brief presents trends in the initiations of selected, frequently prescribed controlled medications among individuals with private health insurance coverage. Results show that the majority of privately insured individuals received their initial controlled medication prescriptions without telehealth involvement, throughout the COVID-19 PHE.
This data brief study was conducted and summarized by the HHS/ASPE Office of Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Policy (BHDAP). Additional research in this area is available at the ASPE Behavioral Health page, and the ASPE COVID-19 page.
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Available Reports:
Related Resources:
- Trends and Disparities in Pandemic Telehealth Use among People with Disabilities Issue Brief (2024)
- Flexibilities in Controlled Substances Prescribing and Dispensing During the COVID-19 Pandemic Issue Brief(2022)
- Update National Survey Trends in Telehealth Utilization and Modality (2021-2022)
- Medicare Beneficiaries’ Use of Telehealth in 2020: Trends by Beneficiary Characteristics and Location(2021)
- Models for Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder, Retention, and Continuity of Care (2020) (HTML version also available)