The Case Against Six-Month Limits on Buprenorphine Telehealth Prescribing

The Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) new rule requiring in-person visits after six months of telehealth-initiated buprenorphine treatment lacks clinical or public health justification and could disrupt care for patients with opioid use disorder. The authors contend that the rule’s seven exceptions are largely impractical for outpatient addiction settings and urge for the removal of the arbitrary time limit.