Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
The Drug Enforcement Agency, DEA, in coordination with the US Department of Justice Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ), will be hosting two virtual consultations regarding the two Notices of Proposed Rulemakings (NPRMs) (the General Telemedicine Rule and Buprenorphine Rule) in accordance to 21 U.S.C. 802(54)(G). 21 U.S.C. 802(54)(G) was proposed to expand patient access to prescriptions via telemedicine similar to the pre-COVID-19 Public Health Emergency availability.
The DEA asserts that there would be no direct impact on Tribal communities; however, given the limited practical and legal scope of the telemedicine exception for Indian Health Service and Tribal practitioners, we believe there may be direct impacts from these proposed regulations.
USET/USET SPF recommend that Tribal Nations join these consultations and voice your concerns and provide feedback on the use of Telemedicine and its impact on Tribal communities.
The virtual consultations will be held on the following dates and times:
- June 13, 2024, at 2:00 pm Central/3:00 pm Eastern
- June 27, 2024, at 2:00 pm Central/3:00 pm Eastern
If you are interested in attending one or both virtual consultations, please respond to OTJ@usdoj.gov by June 11, 2024, and include the name(s) and email addresses of your representatives. If you do not have reliable access to email, you are welcome to join by phone; please call (202) 514-8835 if you will need to join by phone and be sure to leave a contact name and phone number in your message. Written comments will be welcome.
For additional information or clinical guidance, please see the framing paper below. The USET TEC, as well as USET SPF, are is available to assist with any questions or concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us at usetepi@usetinc.org.
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