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Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services Act or the TREATS Act This bill permanently allows health care practitioners to prescribe certain controlled substances for treating substance use disorders via telehealth without evaluating the patient in person. Generally, a health care practitioner may not prescribe a controlled substance via telehealth unless they first conduct an in-person medical evaluation. Federal regulations currently provide a temporary exception to this requirement, allowing practitioners to prescribe schedule II-V controlled substances for legitimate medical purposes (such as treating substance use disorders) via telehealth without an in-person evaluation. However, this temporary regulatory flexibility expires on December 31, 2025. The bill permanently allows practitioners to prescribe schedule III-V controlled substances for the treatment of a substance use disorder via telehealth without conducting an in-person evaluation. In such instances, a practitioner may conduct a telehealth evaluation using audio-only or audio and video equipment.
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Full Bill Text
119 HR 1627 IH: Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services Act U.S. House of Representatives 2025-02-26 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1627 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 26, 2025 Mr. Norcross (for himself and Mr. Fitzpatrick ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce , and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend the Controlled Substances Act to allow for the use of telehealth in substance use disorder treatment, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services Act or the TREATS Act . 2. Telehealth for substance use disorder treatment Section 309(e)(2) of the Controlled Substances Act ( 21 U.S.C. 829(e)(2) ) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (A)(i)— (A) by striking at least 1 in-person medical evaluation and inserting the following: at least— (I) 1 in-person medical evaluation ; and (B) by adding at the end the following: (II) for purposes of prescribing a controlled substance in schedule III, IV, or V that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of a substance use disorder, 1 telehealth evaluation of the patient; or ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (D) The term telehealth evaluation means a medical evaluation that is conducted in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws by a practitioner (other than a pharmacist) who is at a location remote from the patient and is communicating with the patient, or a practitioner who is treating the patient, using a telecommunications system referred to in section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395m(m) ) that includes audio-only or audio and video equipment permitting two-way, real-time interactive communication between the distant site practitioner and the patient, or the practitioner who is treating the patient. .
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