Medication Procurement and the PPAEMA

May 18, 2026

EMS Agency Leaders,

As EMS agencies continue to navigate the evolving landscape of medication procurement and controlled substance access, we wanted to share several considerations and potential strategies that may help your service prepare for upcoming changes in vendor and supply relationships.

First and foremost, if your agency has not already done so, we strongly encourage you to engage your service-level Medical Director early in the planning process. While Medical Directors are not direct participants in DEA registration or controlled substance account setup processes, they should remain situationally aware of operational and clinical impacts to provide appropriate medical oversight, guidance, and support throughout the transition.

Agencies should also anticipate that establishing new medication supply accounts and controlled substance procurement pathways may require significant lead time. Regional discussions have identified several commercial vendors used by EMS services, including Henry Schein, which some agencies have reported allows for lower-volume or individual-item purchases rather than bulk ordering. Maine EMS does not endorse Henry Schein or any specific vendor or supplier. Agencies are encouraged to independently evaluate available options based on operational needs, pricing, regulatory requirements, and service capabilities.

Additionally, we encourage neighboring and lower-volume services to explore discussions surrounding coordinated purchasing strategies where appropriate and legally permissible. Collaboration may help reduce costs, improve purchasing efficiency, and minimize waste, particularly for medications with shorter shelf lives or lower utilization rates. Agencies should ensure that any coordinated purchasing or medication procurement practices remain compliant with all applicable state and federal regulations, including the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2017 and DEA requirements.

For those agencies working with larger hospital systems, dedicated contact points have been established for questions regarding the PPAEMA.

To ensure you have the most up-to-date information and links to primary sources, please review and refer to the informational bulletins Maine EMS has previously released regarding this transition:

Two additional primary sources include: 

Save the Date: Upcoming DEA Webinar: We continue to work with representatives from the DEA to facilitate live sessions for EMS agency leaders to meet with their experts to further discuss these transitions and answer your questions. These sessions are tentatively scheduled for the last week of May. Please keep an eye out for a separate communication with finalized dates, times, and registration information.

This transition represents a significant operational shift for many EMS agencies across the state. Proactive planning, early coordination, and ongoing communication among agencies, medical leadership, and supply partners will be critical to ensuring the continuity of patient care and regulatory compliance.

Please continue sharing effective practices, lessons learned, and operational considerations as agencies move through this process.