Vets told to register with California’s CURES; board details reporting, recordkeeping and inspection expectations

A recent webinar hosted by the California Veterinary Medical Board advised veterinarians that registration with the state’s prescription drug monitoring program (CURES) is mandatory for any veterinarian who holds a California license and a DEA registration and that practices must keep records showing compliance.

The Department of Justice’s Amber Davidson, who identified herself as being with the Department of Justice CURES program, described CURES — “the controlled substance utilization review and evaluation system” — and the system’s scope and reporting rules. Dr. Jim Howard, a representative of the Veterinary Medical Board, outlined what inspectors will look for on site and emphasized that inspections are primarily educational.

Why it matters: The guidance affects how veterinary practices order, dispense and document controlled substances and what evidence inspectors will expect during visits. Failure to maintain required logs, inventories or CURES reporting could lead to follow-up from the board and, in some circumstances, enforcement by federal authorities.

CURES scope, registration and reporting

Amber Davidson said CURES contains prescription dispensing records for schedules II through V and that the system “contains about 750,000,000 records” and receives roughly 700,000 prescriptions each week. She advised veterinarians that if they hold both a California license and a DEA registration they must register with CURES as prescribers; practices that directly dispense controlled substances must report dispensations to CURES as dispensers.

Davidson summarized key statutory…