On March 14, Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2025 Continuing Resolution (H.R. 1968), which included a crucial extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities. This legislation delays the requirement for an in-person evaluation within six months of providing telemental health services until September 30, 2025. Originally set to expire on March 31, these flexibilities are essential for ensuring continued access to mental health care for Medicare beneficiaries.

APA strongly supports efforts to permanently remove this requirement. We recognize that telehealth has become an indispensable tool in expanding access to mental health care, particularly for those in rural and underserved areas. A rigid in-person evaluation requirement would create unnecessary barriers to care, undermining the progress made in telehealth accessibility.

In addition to our advocacy on Medicare telehealth, the APA recently submitted a comment letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regarding the special registration proposed rule. In our letter, we emphasized that the rule, as written, places unnecessary burdens on providers, creating administrative hurdles that could further limit patient access to care. We urged the DEA to adopt a more flexible approach that supports clinicians while maintaining appropriate safeguards.

The APA will continue to advocate for policies that remove barriers to telehealth and ensure patients have access to high-quality mental health services. As Congress revisits this issue in the coming months, we urge lawmakers to take the next step—making Medicare telehealth flexibilities permanent. In the meantime, we urge APA members to evaluate now whether seeing patients in-person makes sense and to avoid disruption to care should the flexibilities not be extended again. See previous blog post for more guidance.