October 03, 2022
Assembly Bill 852 sponsored by the California Medical Association (CMA) to exempt low volume prescribers from California’s e-prescribing necessities has been signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
AB 852 will provide e-prescribing exemptions for suppliers who:
- Issue 100 prescriptions or much less in a 12 months
- Are practising in an space affected by pure catastrophe, formally declared catastrophe or emergency zone
- Are granted a waiver primarily based on different extraordinary circumstances
Physicians who fall below one in every of these exemptions will want to register with the Board of Pharmacy, below a course of that isn’t but decided. CMA will make information about that course of accessible as quickly as doable.
Since California’s e-prescribing mandate initially took impact in January of this 12 months, it has confirmed to be a pricey burden for low volume prescribers, a lot of whom are retired or semi-retired physicians who keep a license. E-prescribing software program typically comes with a month-to-month subscription price, and for suppliers who write solely a handful of prescriptions a 12 months, the software program can price upwards of $20 per prescription. This bill will align California law with federal rules and ease this burden at a time when physicians are nonetheless reeling from the results of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“AB 852 will give physicians more flexibility in complying with California’s prescribing mandate,” says CMA President Robert E. Wailes, M.D. “By allowing exceptions to e-prescribing requirements for health care practitioners who meet certain criteria, this bill will ensure that patients are able to get the medications they need without delay.”
For more information on California’s e-prescribing mandate, see “Frequently Asked Questions: California’s Electronic Prescribing Mandate.”