Mandatory electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) is coming to California, and state officials are reminding licensed healthcare practitioners with prescribing authority that they are subject to the e-prescribing requirements established by Assembly Bill (AB) 2789 (Wood, 2018).
Beginning January 1, 2022, most prescriptions issued by a licensed healthcare practitioner to a California pharmacy must be submitted electronically. This includes prescriptions issued by out-of-state health care practitioners to be filled in a California pharmacy.
Many of the state’s healthcare practitioners already utilize e-prescribing technology, but those who fail to meet the requirements after January 1 will be in violation of the law, which may subject their license to disciplinary action.
The law provides certain exemptions, including if transmission of the prescription is temporarily unavailable because of technological or electrical failure. In addition to the electronic transmission requirements for most prescriptions, there are additional new requirements for controlled substance prescriptions.
Practitioners can find a full accounting of the requirements and exemptions in the AB 2789 bulletin, available on the California Department of Consumer Affairs website, www.dca.ca.gov, or the website of their licensing board.
Consumers with questions about e-prescribing should talk to their healthcare provider.
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