California's new prescription drug monitoring system is working well from a technical standpoint, but it's been a challenge to onboard doctors and other medical professionals ahead of a July 1 registration deadline, state officials told a legislative panel on Monday.
The Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) 2.0 system rolled out in January after a soft launch last summer. The modernized platform gives qualified users a secure, browser-based login where they can interact with data that flags patients who are suspected of "doctor shopping" or are prescribed medications that might be fatal when used in combination, among other functions.
"From what we've heard, it's been a really successful rollout of that, so we're hoping we're going to be able to decommission the [CURES] 1.0 system soon," Robbie Sumner, deputy attorney general of legislative affairs for the California Department of Justice, told an Assembly budget subcommittee Monday.
First, CalDOJ and the Department of Consumer Affairs — the lead departments on the projects — must move the vast majority of the system's user base onto CURES 2.0. About 50 percent of potential users have registered on the new system so far, Sumner said.
Tech support for users and managing the CURES 2.0 help desk has been in a struggle, Sumner said. Last year the system processed 6 million patient activity reports, up from 3.5 million in 2014. The help desk is receiving an average of 4,000 emails and 4,000 phone calls per month.
"Once folks are in the 2.0 system, it's a tremendous success as far as a state IT project. We've really just been running into an issue with being, again, from a technical service perspective handling all the users' inquiries and being able to be available for that," Sumner said.
Sumner said Cal DOJ is trying to be creative and is using student interns and retired annuitants to augment staff. The state underestimated the "human element" of moving on the new system, he conceded.
CURES initially was launched in 1997. The effort to build an updated version started in 2013. The project is expected to cost $5.2 million, according to state records.
Legislation signed in 2013 (SB 809) required physicians, pharmacists and "healing arts" practitioners who prescribe Schedule II, III and IV controlled substances to enroll in the CURES 2.0 system. The CURES modernization is being funded by taxes levied on drug manufacturers and licensing fees paid by doctors.
A California Medical Association representative said Monday the association has been hosting webinars and other events in order to help its members through the process for registering on CURES 2.0. But some physicians have had their CURES applications denied without explanation or have not been able to reach the CURES help desk by phone for several weeks.
