Key Dates

Related Announcements

None

Issued by

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Purpose

The purpose of this request for information (RFI) is to solicit data on the impact of telehealth initiation of controlled substances which were permitted under the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and subsequently extended on May 11, 2023, when the PHE ended.

Note: It is important to read this entire RFI notice to ensure how to submit adequate responses and to understand how the responses will be utilized.

Background:

In response to restrictions in care access caused by the COVID-19 PHE, the Federal government used its authorities to expand access to telehealth, including a temporary exception allowing for prescribing of controlled medications via telemedicine in the absence of an in-person evaluation. Notices of Proposed Rulemaking that put forward rules that would, if implemented, require an in-person evaluation within 30 days of such a prescription received robust public comment, and on May 11, 2023, all flexibilities were continued for six months as the proposed rule is finalized. Evidence of the public health impact of these flexibilities is a critical and urgent gap area in need of expedited data analyses.

Information Requested:

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit data that address:

• Benefits associated with telehealth prescribing of controlled substances, including prescription opioids, stimulants, benzodiazepines, and dissociatives
• Harms associated with telehealth prescribing of controlled substances, including prescription opioids, stimulants, benzodiazepines, and dissociatives
• Comparative diversion risk of prescriptions initiated via telehealth vs. in person

How to Submit a Response:

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically via: TelehealthRFI@nida.nih.gov

Responses must be received by: August 31, 2023

Responses to this RFI are voluntary. Do not include any proprietary, classified, confidential, trade secret, or sensitive information in your response. The responses will be reviewed by NIH staff, and individual feedback will not be provided to any responder. The Government will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion. The Government reserves the right to use any submitted information on public NIH websites, in reports, in summaries of the state of the science, in any possible resultant solicitation(s), grant(s), or cooperative agreement(s), or in the development of future funding opportunity announcements.

This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation, grant, or cooperative agreement, or as an obligation on the part of the Federal Government, the NIH, or individual NIH Institutes and Centers to provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. The Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for the Government’s use of such information. No basis for claims against the U.S. Government shall arise because of a response to this request for information or from the Government’s use of such information. NIH looks forward to your input, and we hope that you will share this RFI document with your colleagues.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

NIH Telehealth RFI Group
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Email: TelehealthRFI@nida.nih.gov