so long as the quantity of the controlled substance does not exceed a seven-day supply; •A s part of a surgical procedure in a clinic, outpatient setting, health facility or dental office, so long as the quantity of the controlled substance does not exceed a five-day supply; or •R eceiving hospice care. In addition, there are exceptions to the duty to consult when access to CURES is not reasonably possible, CURES is not operational or the database cannot be accessed because of technological limitations that are beyond the control of the physician.
CMA Fights for CURES Protections
CMA worked closely with the bill’s author and other stakeholders to reach mutually agreeable language, which was reflected in the final version of the bill (SB 482, Lara). Among the negotiated amendments are liability protections related to the duty to consult the database and changes to ensure that health care providers can meet the requirements under state and federal law to provide patients with their own medical information without penalty. The bill also clarifies that health care providers sharing the information within the parameters of HIPAA and the Confidential Medical Information Act, including adding the CURES report to the patient’s medical record, are not out of compliance with the CURES statute.
Save the Date: CURES webinar with DOJ on 8/22
CMA will be cohosting a live CURES webinar with DOJ on August 22, 2018. The webinar will be free to all interested parties. Registration will open soon at cmanet. org/events.
For More Information
For more information, see CMA On-Call document #3212, “California’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program: The Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES).” On-Call documents are free to members in CMA’s online resource library at www.cmanet.org/cma-on-call. Nonmembers can purchase documents for $2 per page.
Additional Resources:
CURES website: oag.ca.gov/cures CURES FAQ: oag.ca.gov/cures/faqs Medical Board CURES webpage: mbc.ca.gov/cures CMA CURES webpage: cmanet.org/cures CMA Safe Prescribing webpage: cmanet.org/safe-prescribing CMA will continue to provide educational resources and work with DOJ to ensure a smooth implementation of the new requirement. Physicians who experience problems with the CURES database should contact the DOJ CURES Help Desk at (916) 227-3843 or cures@doj.ca.gov.
FALL 2018
New report shows California’s progress addressing opioid crisis The American Medical Association (AMA) recently issued a new report documenting how California’s physician leadership is advancing the fight against the opioid crisis. The report found a statewide decrease in opioid prescribing, as well as an increase in the use of California’s Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) database, number of physicians trained and certified to provide patients with buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid us disorder, and naloxone access. California also saw two consecutive years of decreases in prescription-related opioid deaths and surpassed the national average for prescription decreases between 2014 and 2017. “This report demonstrates that California physicians have made significant strides against the opioid crisis by expanding access to effective treatments for substance use disorders,” said California Medical Association (CMA) President Theodore M. Mazer, M.D. “CMA will continue to lead the nation in implementing effective solutions to reduce opioid abuse and ensure that patients have timely access to medically necessary treatment.” For more details on the report visit end-opioid-epidemic.org. Katherine Boroski is Senior Director of Communications for the California Medical Association.
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