DEA Proposal Would Allow More Electronic Prescribing
Drug Enforcement Administration officials this week in response to a request from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said that the agency has proposed a rule to allow "responsible electronic prescribing of controlled substances," such as pain medications and antidepressants, CongressDaily reports.
According to CongressDaily, Whitehouse and other supporters of e-prescribing "claim DEA's reluctance to allow electronic prescriptions of controlled substances makes it difficult for physicians to voluntarily adopt the technology." In December 2007, Whitehouse "subjected DEA officials to fierce questioning" on e-prescribing and sent a letter -- signed by 18 other senators -- to Attorney General Michael Mukasey to request action on the issue, CongressDaily reports.
The Department of Justice and the Office of Management and Budget must review the proposed rule before publications, a process that does not have a definitive timeline. Whitehouse said he will monitor the proposed rule "closely over the next several months to make sure this process stays on track" (Johnson, CongressDaily, 2/6).