What is the Ryan Haight Act?
The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008 was enacted to regulate online prescriptions of controlled substances. The act requires that all providers prescribing controlled substances must conduct an in-person medical evaluation before they can write a prescription for their patient. Once the provider has conducted an initial in-person medical evaluation, they may continue to see the patient and write prescriptions via telemedicine.
Why should this matter to me?
The requirement of in-person evaluations in the Ryan Haight Act was waived due to the Covid-19 pandemic public health emergency, permitting our providers to care for patients, including you, all across Pennsylvania via telemedicine. This waiver is set to expire in May 2023, and once this requirement is reinstated, you will need to see your psychiatrist in-person before they can write prescriptions for controlled substances.
What can I do?
Advocate! Below are instructions for how you can contact your Members of Congress, the President, and the DEA to advocate that the requirement of in-person evaluations prior to prescribing controlled substances continue to be waived, or that a new exception to the law be written.
Contacting the DEA
Use the following email template and send to odlp@usdoj.gov: Email Template for DEA(opens in a new tab)
Contacting Members of Congress
Find your Members of Congress and their contact information
- Use the following link and type your zip code in the box under “find your member by address”: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member(opens in a new tab)
For Postal Correspondence:
- Address and send the following letter to your Senators: Ryan Haight Act Advocacy Letter to Senators(opens in a new tab)
- Address and send the following letter to your Representatives: Ryan Haight Act Advocacy Letter to Representatives(opens in a new tab)
For Email Correspondence:
- Use the following email template to send to your Members of Congress: Email Template for Congress(opens in a new tab)
For Phone Calls:
- Use the following script when calling your Senators:
Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m from [ZIP CODE] calling in regards to the Ryan Haight Act. I’m calling today to ask Senator [NAME] to continue to waive the requirement of in-person evaluations prior to prescribing controlled substances or to introduce a new exception so that providers practicing telemedicine may continue to deliver essential mental health care to millions of Americans. - Use the following script when calling your Representatives:
Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m from [ZIP CODE] calling in regards to the Ryan Haight Act. I’m calling today to ask Representative [NAME] to continue to waive the requirement of in-person evaluations prior to prescribing controlled substances or to introduce a new exception so that providers practicing telemedicine may continue to deliver essential mental health care to millions of Americans.
Contacting the President
For Postal Correspondence
- Ryan Haight Act Advocacy Letter to the President(opens in a new tab)
- Include your return address on the envelope
- Use the following address:
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
For Email Correspondence
- President Biden can be emailed using this link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/(opens in a new tab)
- Use the following email template: Email Template for President(opens in a new tab)
For Phone Calls
- Call the following number: 202-456-1111
- Use the following script:
Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I’m calling in regards to the Ryan Haight Act. I’m calling today to ask President Biden to continue to waive the requirement of in-person evaluations prior to prescribing controlled substances or to introduce a new exception so that providers practicing telemedicine may continue to deliver essential mental health care to millions of Americans.