CURES database: buprenorphine.

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 a health care practitioner authorized to prescribe, order, administer, furnish, or dispense a Schedule II, Schedule III, or Schedule IV controlled substance. Existing law requires a health care practitioner authorized to prescribe, order, administer, or furnish a controlled substance to consult the patient activity report or information from the patient activity report obtained from CURES, as specified. Existing law exempts a health care practitioner from the duty to consult the CURES database in certain circumstances, including when a health care practitioner prescribes, orders, administers, or furnishes a controlled substance in the emergency department of a general acute care hospital and the quantity of the controlled substances does not exceed a nonrefillable 7-day supply of the controlled substance. This bill would additionally exempt a health care practitioner from the duty to consult the CURES database when the health care practitioner prescribes, orders, administers, or furnishes buprenorphine or other controlled substance containing buprenorphine in the emergency department of a general acute care hospital.