Health tech companies that have taken advantage of the possibility to prescribe controlled substances online during the pandemic may soon find their businesses — and their ability to care for patients — in jeopardy.
The public health emergency paved the way for these young companies — whose prescriptions range from ADHD medication to substance use disorder treatment and off-label ketamine for depression — to prescribe medicines without ever seeing a patient in-person. But when the emergency ends, a decade-old ban on that practice could come back into effect, unless Congress or the Drug Enforcement Administration act. That uncertainty is now forcing telehealth companies to prepare for either outcome, with some scrambling to cement relationships with in-person providers or considering building new clinics to have the necessary physical footprint.
“It’s a ton of operational stress on us to be constantly preparing for the substantial adjustments we’d need to make,” said Emily Behar, who leads clinical operations at Ophelia, a company that offers online medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. And while she said the company is prepared to accommodate in-person requirements, “really the biggest burden is on the patient” — especially if they now have to travel to clinics or wait to schedule appointments before receiving life-saving medication.
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