President Donald Trump on Thursday officially declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency under federal law. Industry groups were quick to support the executive action to address the crisis, while calling on the White House and Congress to more fully leverage technology and allow the sharing of patient substance use records.
In making the announcement, Trump said the declaration directs all executive agencies to use every appropriate emergency authority to fight the opioid crisis. Specifically, it “allows for expanded access to telemedicine services, including services involving remote prescribing of medicine commonly used for substance abuse or mental health treatment.”
