WASHINGTON (CBS19 NEWS) -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has announced plans to improve patient access to substance use disorder treatments via telehealth.

Senator Mark Warner applauded the announcement on Thursday, saying these plans were long-awaited.

According to a release, the DEA has proposed a rule that will ensure health care providers can effectively use telehealth to diagnose and treat patients suffering from substance use disorders.

"The opioid and addiction epidemic has had a devastating impact on communities in Virginia and across the country," said Warner. "We need to use every tool at our disposal to ensure that individuals struggling with addiction can access the treatment they need, and telehealth is an important part of that. I am pleased the DEA has finally issued proposed rulemaking that will improve telehealth access for these patients and I hope they will work quickly to finalize this rulemaking once stakeholders have had an opportunity to weigh in."

In January, Warner sent a letter to the DEA urging it to finalize this rule, and now stakeholders will be able to review and comment on the proposal before a final rule is issued.

This rule has been delayed several times, and Warner raised concerns about how rural and medically underserved areas were being impacted by opioid and other substance addiction.

"Expanding telehealth services to individuals suffering from substance use disorder can bridge the distance between patients and care and ensure increased access to services they need," he said in January.

A 2008 law, the Ryan Haight Act, prohibited the delivery, distribution and dispensing of a controlled substance online without a prior in-person examination.

Warner said this prevented providers from properly using telehealth capabilities to treat individuals, especially those in rural communities who rely on such services for timely access to health care.

He helped to draft a new substance abuse treatment bill that included a provision specifically directing the U.S. Department of Justice to work with the Department of Health and Human Services to create a process to exempt certain health care providers so they could provide telehealth services for the treatment of substance use disorders.

To view the proposed DEA rule, click here.