Subscribe to Our Newsletter
State of California Department of Justice
Rob Bonta
Attorney General
Attorney General
The Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) stores Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substance prescription information reported as dispensed in California. A CURES Patient Activity Report contains , as applicable, the following information: patient first name, patient last name, patient date of birth, patient gender, patient address, animal name, number of prescriptions, prescriber name, prescriber DEA number, prescriber address, pharmacy name, pharmacy license number, pharmacy address, date prescription was filled, prescription number, drug name, drug form, quantity, drug strength, refill number, number of authorized refills, number of days supply, payment method, and prescription form serial number.
As outlined in Health & Safety Code section 11165.1(a)(1)(A), health care practitioners authorized to prescribe, order, administer, furnish, or dispense Schedule II, III, or IV controlled substances, non-DEA practitioners, and pharmacists, may access the electronic history of controlled substances dispensed to an individual under the practitioner or pharmacist’s care.
Additionally, pursuant to Health & Safety Code section 11165(c)(2)(a), data obtained from CURES shall only be provided to appropriate state, local, and federal public agencies for disciplinary, civil, or criminal purposes and to other agencies or entities, as determined by the department, for the purpose of educating practitioners and others in lieu of disciplinary, civil, or criminal actions. Data may be provided to public or private entities, as approved by the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ), for educational, peer review, statistical, or research purposes, if patient information, including information that may identify the patient, is not compromised.
In accordance with California Health & Safety Code section 11165(c)(2)(A) CA DOJ may provide CURES data to public or private entities, as approved by CA DOJ, for educational, peer review, statistical, or research purposes, provided that the patient information, including any information that may identify the patient, is not compromised.
To request CURES data for any of the above listed purposes, or for additional information about the data request process, you can go to the Research Center “Data Request Process” website at https://oag.ca.gov/research-center/request-process.
Effective July 1, 2016, health care practitioners authorized to prescribe, order, administer, furnish, or dispense Schedule II, Schedule III, Schedule IV, Schedule V controlled substances and who obtain a Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration certificate are required to register for CURES. Registration requirements are not based on dispensing, prescribing, or administering activities; instead, the requirements are based on possession of a DEA registration certificate AND valid California licensure as any one of the following:
Dentist
Physician
Naturopathic Doctor
Optometrist
Osteopathic Doctor
Physician Assistant
Podiatrist
Registered Certified Nurse Midwife (Furnishing)
Registered Nurse Practitioner (Furnishing)
Veterinarian
Effective July 1, 2016, pharmacists are required to register for CURES upon receipt of their license. Registration requirements are not based on dispensing, prescribing, or administering activities but, rather, on valid California licensure as a pharmacist.
Registration, for California-licensed health care practitioners and pharmacists, is fully automated. Applicants must complete the online registration form and provide a valid email address, medical or pharmacist license number, and DEA registration certificate number (when applicable).
If your account has been denied, you can re-apply by logging in to CURES using your credentials provided in a previous email under the subject line “CURES Registration Confirmation.”
Common reasons for applicant denial include:
CURES users must use Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari. Microsoft Internet Explorer is not supported by CURES for security purposes.
Data contained in CURES is reported to CA DOJ by pharmacies, clinics and other dispensers. If you are a patient or prescriber with incorrect information on your CURES report, please notify the reporting pharmacy or dispenser of the error. The reporting pharmacy or dispenser creates and owns the prescription records submitted to the Department of Justice.
For information on how to submit controlled substance prescription data or data corrections, pharmacies and direct dispensers may contact Bamboo Health by phone at (855) 502-0999. To access Bamboo Health’s online resources, please visit Bamboo Health Online Resources.
An individual can obtain his or her CURES prescription history report through the Information Practices Act (IPA). Controlled substance prescription dispensation records contain, as applicable, the following information for each dispensation reported: patient first name, patient last name, patient date of birth, patient gender, patient address, animal name, number of prescriptions, prescriber name, prescriber DEA number, prescriber address, pharmacy name, pharmacy license number, pharmacy address, date prescription was filled, prescription number, drug name, drug form, quantity, drug strength, refill number, number of authorized refills, number of days supply, payment method, and prescription form serial number.
For more information or to obtain a CURES IPA Request Form, contact the CURES Help Desk at cures@doj.ca.gov.
CURES users are provided easy and prompt online assistance for password resets. Links to these services are on the CURES login page. Additionally, users may contact the CURES Help Desk at (916) 210-3187 or cures@doj.ca.gov.
CURES provides alerts to health care practitioners when the health care practitioner’s patient's aggregate prescription level exceeds certain thresholds. Patient Alerts are presented at the following therapy thresholds:
The CURES database also provides health care practitioners and pharmacists with a messaging capability that allows a message to be sent to another health care practitioner regarding a mutual patient from within the secure CURES environment.
Effective October 2, 2018, with specified exceptions, health care practitioners authorized to prescribe, order, administer, or furnish a controlled substance shall consult the CURES database to review a patient's controlled substance history no earlier than 24 hours, or the previous business day, before prescribing a Schedule II, Schedule III, or Schedule IV controlled substance to the patient for the first time and at least once every 6 months thereafter if the substance remains part of the treatment of the patient. (Health and Safety Code section 11165.4(a)(1)(A)(i))
The mandatory consultation requirement applies to any health care practitioner with both (1) a Drug Enforcement Administration Controlled Substance Registration Certificate and (2) a California licensure as any one of the following:
Dentist
Physician
Naturopathic Doctor
Optometrist
Osteopathic Doctor
Physician Assistant
Podiatrist
Registered Nurse Midwife (Furnishing)
Registered Nurse Practitioner (Furnishing)
However, the mandatory consultation requirement does not apply to the following health care practitioners:
Veterinarians
Pharmacists
Pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 11165.4(a), the mandatory consultation requirement requires health care practitioners to consult the CURES database to review a patient's controlled substance history under both of the following circumstances:
"First time" means the initial occurrence in which a health care practitioner, in his or her role as a health care practitioner, intends to prescribe, order, administer, or furnish a Schedule II, III, or IV controlled substance to a patient and has not previously prescribed a controlled substance to the patient.
There are several exemptions to the mandatory use requirement outlined in Health and Safety Code section 11165.4(b) and (c). For a full list of exemptions, please refer to the California Medical Board's website.
For assistance determining if an exemption is applicable to you, please contact your respective state licensing board.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has created a Quick Reference Guide that details how to establish and activate a Delegate in the optimized CURES, along with questions and answers. For detailed information view the Quick Reference Guide.
DOJ has also created two sample Delegate Agreements. The first sample Delegate Agreement demonstrates an agreement between one Authorizing User and one Delegate. The second sample Delegate Agreement demonstrates an agreement between one Authorizing User and multiple Delegates.
Detailed information concerning Delegate eligibility and Delegate Agreement requirements are described in DOJ’s March 10, 2022, bulletin entitled, New Features and Requirements for Expanded Delegate Access.
The CURES data collection system includes the ability for a dispenser to submit “zero-fill” reports to the system. Although not required by the law, the Board of Pharmacy strongly encourages dispensers to submit such reports as a means to demonstrate compliance with the reporting requirements established in Health and Safety Code section 11165.
No. Since zero-fill reporting is recommended, not required, a zero-fill reporting waiver is unnecessary.
Direct Dispensing licensees have the ability to zero-fill report.
The CURES system includes the ability for a dispenser to submit “zero-fill” reports to the system. Although not required by the law, the Board of Pharmacy strongly encourages dispensers to submit such reports as a means to demonstrate compliance with the reporting requirements established in Health and Safety Code section 11165.
Yes. CA DOJ is currently participating in interstate data sharing. CURES users with specific approved roles are able to search prescription information from the following states: Oregon.