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Along with the benefit of compliance with state regulations to prevent controlled-substance abuse, ePrescribing can improve clinical care and efficiency.

A new year means updated regulations for California dentists to follow. It also means guidance and new resources from CDA. Members are invited to take CDA's newest Practice Health Check to gauge their compliance with regulations as the new year begins.

California-licensed pharmacists, dentists and others who dispense controlled substances must follow revised reporting requirements beginning Jan. 1, 2022. Those requirements are different than the requirements for prescribing or administering controlled substances.

CDA recently hosted a webinar with its Endorsed Services partner iCoreConnect to help dentists understand the process of transitioning from written and phoned-in prescriptions to electronic prescriptions by the state's Jan. 1 deadline. Here CDA answers questions members submitted during the webinar. 
 

California dentists, physicians and other specified licensees who renew their license beginning in April 2021 will see an increase in the regulatory fee assessed annually to cover the “reasonable costs” associated with operating and maintaining CURES 2.0 ― California’s prescription drug monitoring database.

CDA reminds California-licensed dentists that they are required to begin using tamper-resistant prescription pads when prescribing controlled substances no later than Jan. 1, 2021. Also taking effect are two laws related to controlled-substance prescribing for Medicare beneficiaries and reporting requirements for controlled-substance dispensing. 

California law requires that prescribers of controlled substances begin using new prescription forms beginning Jan. 1, 2021, to help reduce prescription fraud. The compliant forms contain unique serial numbers and barcodes that are linked to corresponding records in CURES. 

A dentist who writes controlled substance prescriptions can now review CURES (Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System) for patients for whom the dentist is listed as a prescriber. This ability to review the list is useful when a dentist has misplaced a prescription pad or has had a prescription pad stolen or when a dentist suspects someone is misusing their DEA number.

A new state law requires that tamper-resistant prescription forms for controlled substances have unique serial numbers. These numbers will be linked to corresponding records in California’s prescription-drug monitoring program known as CURES. The requirement is part of Assembly Bill 1753 signed into law last September. New prescription forms should be ordered from a “serial # compliant printer” as indicated on the DOJ’s website.