All physicians and other providers who possess both a state regulatory board license authorizing them to prescribe, dispense, furnish or order controlled substances and a Drug Enforcement Administration Controlled Substance Registration Certificate (DEA Certificate) must be registered to use the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) database. CURES is a prescription drug monitoring database containing information on Schedule II through IV controlled substances dispensed in California.
Register for CURES
Physicians are required to consult the CURES database (California’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Database [PDMD]) prior to prescribing Schedule II, III, or IV controlled substances to a patient for the first time and at least once every six months thereafter if that substance remains part of the patient’s treatment.
There are exceptions to this duty to consult, including:
For more information on CURES and the duty to consult, ACCMA/CMA members can access this free CMA guide. Others may consult the DOJ CURES user guide here. To watch a CMA on-demand webinar (free to members and non-members) that provides an overview of the new CURES duty-to-consult mandate, click here.
The California Medical Association has several free webinars to help you understand more.
No; CURES 2.0 requires users to complete the application process online. Paper applications are no longer available or accepted by DOJ. Paper applications submitted prior to January 8, 2016 are still being processed (see above).
The address that is on file with the Medical Board of California (MBC) that is associated with your Medical License, and also either your Social Security Number (SSN) or Tax Identification Number (TIN), depending on which is also on file with the MBC that is associated with your CA Medical License number. (Both pieces of information must match MBC records.)
NOTE: Your medical license type refers to the first alpha character in your medical license number (Example: for license A12345, the license type “A” and the license number is “12345”).
An email will be sent within 24 hours of receipt of the first part of the registration application.
For technical assistance contact the DOJ CURES Help Desk either by phone or email at 916-227-3843 or cures@doj.ca.gov. If you do not receive a timely response, contact the ACCMA at 510-654-5383 or accma@accma.org.
Registration application approvals and denials are sent within 24-48 hours.
After six unsuccessful attempts to login, the user’s account will be locked and deactivated. The only way to reactivate the account is to contact the Department of Justice (DOJ) Helpdesk at 916-227-3843 or cures@doj.ca.gov who will reactivate the account on the user’s behalf. The response you receive from DOJ will likely be an automated message with instructions for resetting your passwords.
Use your “User Registration Confirmation” page print-out to confirm your address information and SSN/TIN with the Medical Board of California (MBC). If any discrepancies are found, you may need to update your address information and/or SSN or TIN with the MBC. The address and SSN or TIN on file with the MBC should match the address information and SSN or TIN you enter on your CURES registration application. Once corrected, begin the online application process again and submit a new application. If a second denial is received send an email to cures@doj.ca.gov and to the ACCMA at accma@accma.org.
DOJ has advised that they are answering inquiries in the order they are received, and have reported a high volume of calls. As a result, many physicians are reporting challenges getting assistance from the DOJ Help Desk. If you have submitted questions to the DOJ Helpdesk regarding your CURES Registration Application and have not received a timely reply, please contact the ACCMA for further assistance at 510-654-5383 or accma@accma.org.
The secure browser requirements for CURES 2.0 are:
Once the multi-step registration process is completed and access to CURES is granted, physicians are encouraged to check CURES as appropriate, or every six months, when prescribing controlled substances. By checking CURES you can find out:
The following instructional resources have been created to provide guidance to physicians and other prescribers and dispensers about how to use CURES:
Click here for additional publications and training videos.
Click here for frequently asked questions about CURES.
For technical assistance, contact the DOJ CURES Help Desk either by phone or email at 916-210-3187 or cures@doj.ca.gov. Physicians are also encouraged to report these technical issues to the ACCMA by calling (510) 654-5383 or emailing accma@accma.org.