Controlled substances: reporting.

(1) Existing law classifies certain controlled substances into designated schedules. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to maintain the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) for the electronic monitoring of the prescribing and dispensing of Schedule II, Schedule III, and Schedule IV controlled substances by all practitioners authorized to prescribe or dispense these controlled substances. Existing law requires dispensing pharmacies and clinics to report, on a weekly basis, specified information for each prescription of Schedule II, Schedule III, or Schedule IV controlled substances, to the department, as specified. This bill would establish the CURES Fund within the State Treasury to receive funds to be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Department of Justice for the purposes of funding CURES, and would make related findings and declarations. This bill would, beginning April 1, 2014, require an annual fee of $6 to be assessed on specified licensees, including licensees authorized to prescribe, order, administer, furnish, or dispense controlled substances, and require the regulating agency of each of those licensees to bill and collect that fee at the time of license renewal. The bill would authorize the Department of Consumer Affairs to reduce, by regulation, that fee to the reasonable cost of operating and maintaining CURES for the purpose of regulating those licensees, if the reasonable regulatory cost is less than $6 per licensee. The bill would require the proceeds of the fee to be deposited into the CURES Fund for the support of CURES, as specified. The bill would also permit specified insurers, health care service plans, qualified manufacturers, and other donors to voluntarily contribute to the CURES Fund, as described. (2) Existing law requires the Medical Board of California to periodically develop and disseminate information and educational materials regarding various subjects, including pain management techniques, to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in California. This bill would additionally require the board to periodically develop and disseminate to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in California information and educational materials relating to the assessment of a patient's risk of abusing or diverting controlled substances and information relating to CURES. (3) Existing law permits a licensed health care practitioner, as specified, or a pharmacist to apply to the Department of Justice to obtain approval to access information stored on the Internet regarding the controlled substance history of a patient under his or her care. Existing law also authorizes the Department of Justice to provide the history of controlled substances dispensed to an individual to licensed health care practitioners, pharmacists, or both, providing care or services to the individual. This bill would require, by January 1, 2016, or upon receipt of a federal Drug Enforcement Administration registration, whichever occurs later, health care practitioners authorized to prescribe, order, administer, furnish, or dispense controlled substances, as specified, and pharmacists to apply to the Department of Justice to obtain approval to access information stored on the Internet regarding the controlled substance history of a patient under their care. The bill would require the Department of Justice, in conjunction with the Department of Consumer Affairs and certain licensing boards, to, among other things, develop a streamlined application and approval process to provide access to the CURES database for licensed health care practitioners and pharmacists. The bill would make other related and conforming changes.