EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: 1
Summary of the Issue. 1
The New Rules Will Hurt Your Doctor’s Practice By: 2
The New Rules Will Hurt Patients By: 3
Here’s What You Need to Know: 3
Act Now: Send Your Comment to the DEA by March 31. 3
Proposed Solutions: 4
Rationale: 4
References: 8
Here
Example language (please add or edit to make your comment personal to your circumstances)
“I live in a small town with no men’s health clinics. Fortunately, I was able to seek care from a telemedicine clinic for my hypogonadism. Having convenient access to testosterone treatment has dramatically improved my quality of life and vitality. The proposed updated DEA rules on the Ryan Haight Act will create a new burden for me of travel time to see my doctor and to manage my more limited and frequent medication refills. This time requirement will decrease the time I am required to perform my job and family duties. These rules will most likely increase my treatment costs since my clinic will have extra administrative requirements. I am happy with my current care and see no benefit in imposing these new rules that will limit access to care by taxpayers like me. Please leave the current system intact.”
[1]
This direct testimony from the DEA highlights the issues that conflict with their own proposed rules around telemedicine prescribing of testosterone-based hormone therapies.
Finally, Ryan Haight, for whom the Act is named, did not have a valid prescription nor doctor-patient relationship. The proposed amendments to his namesake act would not have prevented his tragedy and should be rejected by the medical and patient community in unison.
[1] One Hundredth Congress, Second Session. Testimony regarding H.R. 3216. July 27, 1988. [JB2]
(2) Pelzman DL, Hwang K. Testosterone therapy: where do the latest guidelines agree and differ? Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity. 2020 Dec;27(6):397-403. DOI: 10.1097/med.0000000000000581. PMID: 33044244.
(3) Jethro C.C. Kwong, BMSc, Yonah Krakowsky, MD, Ethan Grober, MD, Testosterone Deficiency: A Review and Comparison of Current Guidelines, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Volume 16, Issue 6, June 2019, Pages 812–820, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.03.262
This direct testimony from the DEA highlights the issues that conflict with their own proposed rules around telemedicine prescribing of testosterone-based hormone therapies.
Finally, Ryan Haight, for whom the Act is named, did not have a valid prescription nor doctor-patient relationship. The proposed amendments to his namesake act would not have prevented his tragedy and should be rejected by the medical and patient community in unison.
