California’s amendments to Assembly Bill 528 have expanded pharmacy prescription reporting access and created tighter requirements for licensed health professionals. These changes directly apply to the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (C.U.R.E.S.). C.U.R.E.S. is a prescription monitoring program maintained by California’s licensed physicians, physician assistants, pharmacies, pharmacists, and any other prescribing healthcare workers.
In 2018, the California Department of Justice (DOJ), issued mandatory statewide use of this system for all licensed medical professionals. As a result of recent changes to AB528, this system will have even higher regulations and reporting restrictions beginning in January 2021.
Shorter Reporting Deadlines
Medical professionals using the system will now only have one working day to report to C.U.R.E.S. after they have released a controlled substance to the patient. Previously, professionals were allowed seven working days to file these reports. The bill now also requires that Scheduled V controlled substances are reported in the system.
Extended Consulting Timelines
As part of the bill, licensed healthcare professionals will only be required to review a patient’s controlled substance history through the C.U.R.E.S. database once every six months at the minimum. Prior to AB528 changes, licensed medical practitioners and pharmacists were required to consult the database once every four months. It is important to note that additional review may still be required for professionals who have received database information from another user.
Related Article: California Licensing Board Changes: Renewal and License Requirements
Increased Database Access
When the C.U.R.E.S. system was first introduced, only healthcare workers registered with the DEA were authorized to request and obtain approval for information from the database. These amendments to the bill, however, no longer require medical professionals to have a DEA registration to access information.
As a result of these new measures and stricter reporting requirements, the C.U.R.E.S. database will be used to monitor and track licensed medical professionals prescribing controlled substances more easily. All licensed California healthcare workers will have even higher expectations for maintaining their professionalism in order to keep their license and career safe from disciplinary action by medical licensing boards.
We understand how important your medical license is to your livelihood and our community. If you are facing challenges with your license, our team at Unlock Legal can help protect your career.
At Unlock Legal, we have helped hundreds of licensed professionals protect their livelihoods. We’ve stood before licensing boards to petition for reinstatement, fight against license denial, and even manage administrative hearings when a professional’s license is under investigation. Our priority is to get you the best outcome possible and handle your case from beginning to end – no matter how long it takes.
Unlock Legal provides focused representation in criminal defense and defense for California licensed professionals. Contact Unlock Legal today or give us a call at 949-988-4444 to speak with a professional about your case and your unique needs. You’ll find we are compassionate, easy to talk to, and willing to help in any capacity we can.
