Sponsors (23)
The bill expands remote access to FDA‑approved SUD medications — improving treatment reach and continuity for patients (especially in underserved areas) — but raises risks of diversion, possible reductions in assessment quality for audio‑only visits, and added compliance burdens for clinicians.
People with substance use disorder — especially those in rural areas or with mobility/transportation barriers — can receive FDA‑approved Schedule III–V medications after a telehealth evaluation (including audio‑only), improving timely access to treatment and continuity of care.
Practitioners can lawfully prescribe certain SUD medications remotely (when following applicable federal and state law), enabling greater treatment capacity, fewer missed appointments, and more flexible care delivery.
Broader telehealth prescribing for controlled substances increases the risk of inappropriate prescribing or diversion if safeguards and monitoring are insufficient, potentially worsening misuse and public-safety harms.
Allowing audio‑only evaluations can limit clinicians' ability to perform full physical and nonverbal assessments, reducing diagnostic accuracy and potentially harming patient safety.
The statutory change may complicate compliance because practitioners must navigate differing federal and state telehealth and controlled‑substance rules, increasing administrative burden and legal risk and possibly deterring providers from offering remote SUD care.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a telehealth substitute (including audio‑only) for the in‑person exam when prescribing FDA‑approved Schedule III–V drugs for substance use disorder and defines "telehealth evaluation."
Official title: Amend the Controlled Substances Act to allow for the use of telehealth in substance use disorder treatment, and for other purposes.
Introduced October 23, 2025 by Lisa Murkowski · Last progress October 23, 2025
Allows a clinician to rely on a telehealth evaluation — including audio‑only calls — instead of an in‑person medical exam when prescribing FDA‑approved Schedule III, IV, or V drugs for treating a substance use disorder, while keeping the general requirement that prescriptions issued via the internet be tied to at least one in‑person evaluation except for this specified telehealth exception. It also adds a statutory definition of “telehealth evaluation,” linking the allowed communications modes to the Medicare two‑way telecommunications description and stating the evaluation must be performed by a practitioner (not a pharmacist) consistent with federal and state law. The change narrows the strict in‑person phrasing by creating an explicit telehealth pathway for certain SUD medications, clarifies permitted technology (audio‑only or audio+video real‑time communication), and ties the definition to an existing federal telecommunication standard.